Pierce the Night
by Shania Nowhere
Summary: An odd young 1st year enters the Hogwarts school of magic and suddenly seems drawn to a certain anti-social teacher that is confused by her interest in detention with him. But all is not as it seems. Based in the timeline around Chamber of Secrets.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter One

It was a pleasant night, calm and still as the steady flow of students dismounted the Hogwarts Express, filtering their way to the carriages that would carry them up to their place of study. As the sea of black robes grew larger, a small and meek looking girl dismounted the train, being pushed and jostled back and forth as she tried desperately to carry her things to the giant shouting over everyone's heads.

"Firs' years, follow me! All firs' years, come this way! Well, aren' yeh a bit small ter be carrying such a big trunk? It mus be twice yer size! Let me get that fer yeh!"

The giant stooped down and took the tiny girls over-sized trunk and heaved it over one shoulder, saying, "Righ' then, let's go! Follow me ter the boats!"

She kept close to him, making certain her belongings weren't confiscated in any way as they quickly made toward the shore of Hogwarts' lake. Climbing into the boat with the man bearing her things, they set sail and headed across the lake toward the school.

"So, yeh excited 'bout coming ter Hogwarts, Miss..." He looked over his shoulder at her and she glanced up with a curiously calm look on her face.

"Pierce. Eileen Pierce." She responded in a soft yet firm voice that brought a smile to his face.

"Miss Pierce. My name's Hagrid, I think yeh'll enjoy it here, it's a great school, Hogwarts is."

She didn't respond, looking into her lap at the basket sitting in it which seemed to be moving. She spoke softly to it before turning her attention to the fleet of boats drifting along around them. She saw a small girl with fiery red hair and freckles chatting happily with some students in her boat. Narrowing her eyes, she returned to staring at the basket for the rest of the ride.

They finally hit shore and climbed out, waiting for Hagrid to lead the way up the bank and across the field to the front doors.

Everyone seemed to be keeping their distance from Eileen, though at first glance it would seem obvious for their caution. She was a frail looking girl with gleaming white hair that hung down past her waist, tied back at the nap of her neck by a black satin ribbon. The black robes she wore gave her a ghostly appearance as her skin was pallid, one might assume she'd rarely seen the light of day. But the most disturbing of her features, as pretty as she was, were her eyes; two intensely icy blue orbs set out against the colorless essence of her form, her left pupil hauntingly more dilated than the other so that it made her left eye look darker in color. Despite all these strange and disturbingly odd characteristics, it was the shaking basket she carried in her arms that alarmed the new students the most.

Hagrid climbed the stairs into the entrance hall where he added Eileen's trunk to the pile of waiting belongings, taking her basket and setting it on top before directing her attention to an elderly woman wearing a pointed hat and emerald green robes.

"My name is Professor McGonagall, I welcome you to our school of magic. First I would like to go over a few rules before we go in..." The woman prattled on about school policies for students and what was off limits before finishing, "If you will follow me, Ill take you to the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. Please make a single file line and keep quiet."

McGonagall turned and they followed her up the stairs and down a long hallway. Soon they found themselves standing in front of four tables filled by children of all sizes and shapes who were watching them intently as the ceremony ensued. McGonagall called name after name as the nervous 1st years were dispersed between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Finally, she called "Pierce, Eileen."

The pale girl drifted slowly up to the stool whereon she sat, placing the tattered and old wizards hat upon her head. A thrilling silence fell as she waited, nothing happening until finally the hat spoke low and slow.

_"Ah, well you're quite a miserable little girl, it's hard to choose where I should put you. You seem fit for any of the four houses, perhaps Ravenclaw would suit you. But the deep-set hatred in your heart could only point to...SLYTHERIN!"_

The table on the far right side of the room cheered dully and she stepped down from the platform, taking her sweet time to reluctantly join her fellow students. They made plenty of room for her as she sat down, staring all along in disgusting interest while she examined the golden dishes. When the ceremony had come to an end, a tall white haired wizard stood and began to address the students cheerfully from a podium at the front of the room. He introduced himself as the headmaster and the teachers for the new students, though Eileen wasn't paying much attention. Before long, food magically appeared on the dishes all along the tables and the room filled with clattering and conversation as dinner ensued. Eileen quietly kept to herself all through the meal, barely eating anything more than a couple dinner rolls and a few slices of glazed ham.

"I wonder where Professor Snape is this time, he's usually at the opening feasts..." One of the Slytherin students whispered to another.

"Catching students playing hooky, most likely. Or maybe Peeves got him good on his way to the great hall." Another hissed, followed by a choir of hushed giggles.

Eileen listened to them with piqued interest. Who was this professor they spoke of? Unfortunately she wasn't inquisitive enough to bother asking when the headmaster stood again and dismissed them to their dorms for the night, signaling for the prefects of each house to guide the 1st years to their new place of residence.

The Slytherins quickly made their way out of the hall and headed toward a set of stairs going down below ground, but Eileen wasn't keen to follow just yet. She made her way unnoticed back to the entrance hall thinking she could retrieve her things when to her surprise she found the hall empty. Blinking, she began looking over the railings and searching for hidden doorways but there was no sign of her belongings.

"What might you be doing out here alone? Trying to sneak out before bed?" A voice hissed behind her and she turned to find herself face to face with a miserable looking old man accompanied by a shabby tabby with yellow eyes.

"My things - " She started when he interrupted, "Have been taken to your room, weren't you told?"

She shook her head and he sniffed loudly, continuing, "Well then get out of here and don't let me catch you sneaking off by yourself because next time, I won't let you off so easy!"

She didn't wait to be escorted as she quickly glided back up the stairs and down the long hallway toward the stairs she saw the rest of the Slytherins descend. On her way there, she collided with a tall boy with the same fiery red hair as the girl she saw earlier in the boat.

"Oi, watch where you're running!" He bellowed, clearly in a bad mood about something.

She didn't stop to say an apology as she darted around him and down the stairs, hearing his fading voice call behind her, "Fine, don't apologize! Typical Slytherin, no manners at all"

Typical Slytherin? Were the members of her house so commonly known as such? She wasn't sure if she'd like being in this house but it was too late to change her mind now. Wandering aimlessly through the many hallways winding around under the school, she quickly became lost and sought to find the stairs again in hopes of finding a teacher. To her great misfortune, she ran straight into a towering body of black robes and looked up into the snarling face of a rather cross-looking man.

"It is past curfew, why are you not in your dormitory." His question didn't seem like a question as much as a demand for an answer.

Her eyes locked onto his, her expression of the utmost serenity as she said softly, "Are you Professor Snape?"

"Yes, I am, but that does not answer my question now does it?" He remarked snidely, taking in her appearance briefly before returning to their staring contest. He was in as foul a mood as the redhead she had run into earlier.

"I got lost." She replied simply.

"A likely story, I've had to deal with enough lost trouble-makers this evening. Tell me what house you belong to so I can take points away from it."

"Slytherin."

"Slytherin? I have such a disgrace in my own house? Well then, for your outright disrespect for the rules of this school, you have detention tomorrow evening in my office. Do not get lost on your way there." And with that, he turned and started off in the opposite direction.

"Professor?" She called after him in a meek yet strong voice.

He turned sharply and glared at her, saying, "Yes?"

"I'm still lost."

"Is it my fault you couldn't bother following the rest of the Slytherins to the dormitories?"

"No."

"Then have fun." He sneered and turned to go when a young and attractive boy with bleach blond hair appeared around a corner. Snape stopped and spoke with a calmer voice, "Malfoy, why are you - nevermind, escort this 1st year and we'll forget you were even here."

"Yes, sir." Malfoy replied, waiting for Eileen to catch up before stalking off down another hallway, away from Snape. They walked quietly for a few feet before Malfoy spoke in a drawling whisper, "I don't think he likes you, you don't want to get on Snape's bad side. Potters done that from day one and gotten detention nearly everyday of the year!"

She didn't take him seriously as she sensed a certain air of trickery in his voice but nodded all the same, saying, "I've got detention, for getting lost."

"Sucks to be you. Here we are; Salazar." He spoke to a wall and it suddenly opened, revealing a crowded room full of chairs and couches occupied by students. Many of them called out to Malfoy as they walked in, rushing forward and engaging him in conversation as he told them where he'd been past curfew.

Eileen took this as her cue to sneak off and find her room, following a couple girls up a set of spiral stairs. She heard some commotion coming from a room on the first landing and entered it to find her things and the basket wide open.

Growling and hissing wildly, a spotted cat with large ears and a lion-like tail took a few swipes at a frightened young girl whom had no doubt let the cat out of the basket. Upon entering the room, the creature perked its ears and fell silent, turning its attention to its master as she cooed, "Behave, Mephi."

It gave the girl one final glare before bounding toward Eileen as she bent forward with her arm out, climbing nimbly up onto her shoulder where it perched itself carefully. Crossing the room to where her trunk sat at the foot of a bed, she said, "Did you let him out?"

"It - it attacked me!" The girl shrieked.

"But you did let him out." Eileen did not look at her as she tickled the creature under its chin.

"Well, I..." She stammered and looked embarrassed.

"Mephistopheles is a kneazle, he doesn't like anyone but me so you shouldn't have opened his basket, aside from the fact that you were trying to search my things without my permission. I should punish you for that."

"What? You - you can't use magic against other students!" She said defiantly, though cowering slightly against her own bed.

"Shame, I had a lovely hex ready for you...perhaps later then, when there are no witnesses within earshot of your screams." It wasn't merely the threats Eileen was issuing to the pale faced 1st year that frightened her most, but the lack of concern in her voice for her well-being.

Opening her trunk, Eileen pulled out a nightgown and made to change into it when she noticed the girl was still staring at her.

"Staring isn't polite, perhaps a good blinding spell is in order?" She said quietly.

The girl screamed again and ran from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Mephistopheles jumped swiftly onto the bed and waited as his mistress changed and joined him there with a hefty schoolbook. She had barely cracked it open when the door came crashing open again and a girl with short black hair stormed into the room, a look of pompous superiority as she said shrilly, "Who do you think you are, frightening this poor girl with that monster?"

Mephistopheles hissed his disapproval of being called a monster and Eileen said, "She let him out."

"You shouldn't be allowed such a dangerous creature! Ill be telling the head of house about this and he'll give you - "

"Detention? Already have it, he seems like a nice guy" The air of sarcasm in her voice was lacking as both girls looked at her like she was nuts.

"Nice? Surely you aren't speaking of-"

"Snape? Why yes, we had a lovely chat in the hallway."

"Stop interrupting me!" The girl snarled and went on to say, "In any case, you'll have more detention as punishment for your...that...thing there! And for the threats!" She turned sharply and stalked back out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The shaken 1st year stood rooted to the floor, staring after her as if she'd just been completely abandoned to the wolves.

"Nice girl...well, goodnight." Eileen snapped her book shut and placed it on her dresser before curling up under the blankets with Mephistopheles resting at the foot of her bed. As she slept, unaware of the fact that the other girl was still wide awake and staring at the slumbering kneazle, she dreamt different scenarios of how much more interesting her first day of school must be compared to the somewhat disastrous first impression she had just made with her fellow Slytherins.

The next day however, she woke to find Mephistopheles not on the bed but perched on top of her trunk looking disgruntled, patches of black material and flecks of blood here and there on the floor.

"Tried to steal into my things again, did they?" Eileen said coolly, rising and crawling out of bed, careful to avoid the mess as she got ready for breakfast. Before leaving the room, she set up a few curses and charms on her belongings to further deter thieves. As she stood to admire her work, she felt a nudge on her leg and looked down to see Mephistopheles at her side, looking up curiously.

"You stay here and guard my trunk until they learn to keep out, got it? Ill bring you some table scraps before I go to class."

He meowed stiffly and leapt back to his position on the trunk, curling up inside his basket and seemingly falling asleep.

Leaving the dormitory, she found the common room lightly smattered with students lingering for friends to join them at breakfast or returning from their meal to retrieve schoolbooks. Upon seeing her descending the stairs, the room fell silent and every eye was set on her. Ignoring this sudden attention, she strode slowly to the entrance and left them to carry on whispering about her behind her back as she made for the great hall. Hoping against hope that she could find her way back after getting lost the previous night, she managed to trace her steps back to the stairs out of the dungeons and quickly found her way to the great hall where breakfast was already in process. The Slytherin table gave her a wide berth as she sat down, staring and looking quite disgusted by her presence already.

_I love my house_...Eileen thought to herself, taking a slice of toast , sunny-side up egg, and ham from various trays on the table. Glancing idly toward the head table, she saw Snape watching her closely and joined in on the staring contest she had started the night before.

After a few moments, he broke his gaze when a teacher next to him began to speak, pretending like nothing had happened. He didn't seem too fond of the flamboyant man chattering on next to him either and had an air of boredom about him as he carried the conversation regardless.

"Such a nice man" She muttered to herself as she dined on her meager breakfast, ignoring the cautious glances tossed by not only Slytherins but Ravenclaws at the neighboring table who had no doubt heard the tail of her savage pet. Finishing quickly, she took a few slices of ham and stowed them away inside her schoolbag before slinging it over her shoulder and strolling back to the dorms.

Before she could get far, she heard the sharp tone of Snape call out, "1st year!"

Turning slowly, she said airily, "Yes, professor?"

"Your school schedule, don't lose it. I don't tolerate careless students in my house and if I find you've lost it after all, you will be sure to have another day of detention awaiting you." He said, thrusting a paper into her hands and turning to leave.

"I'll do my best to..." She muttered, catching his attention as he said, "What?"

"I'll do my best not to." She responded, blinking and taking leave.

Snape stared after her for a moment, not believing her cover-up but having no interest in spending his morning arguing such trivial issues with random students.

After returning to her room and feeding Mephistopheles, she checked over her schedule and headed to her first class: Potions. She joined the line of waiting students who looked around at her curiously as she hummed a rather obscure tune to herself. Barely a minute had passed when the dungeon door swung open and the students ushered themselves into the room, Eileen last to enter. Snape was at the front of the class already flipping dully through a textbook lying open on his desk, waiting for the students to get settled. Finally, he glanced up and immediately found himself staring down at the same white headed girl that ran into him in the dark dungeon hallway.

She stared up intently from the very front row, sitting right smack in front of him with an expectant sparkle in her disturbingly blue eyes.

Clearing his throat and returning his attention to the rest of the class, he said, "Welcome to my class, I must warn you that I don't tolerate slackers. I have strict rules regarding assignments so if you don't feel your work will be able to scrounge a decent grade, do find another subject to study. For those few of you who may fair well in the studies of potions, try not to flaunt your knowledge and make the others feel inferior, that is my job."

Nervous looks were exchanged between the students and Snape went on to say, "Turn to the first chapter in _Magical Drafts and Potions _and read the first 5 paragraphs, then begin working on the potion." With a flick of his wand, the board filled with instructions on how to create the first potion for class.

Eileen immediately began to work on the potion and Snape swept over to her desk, saying coldly, "Read _first_, 1st year."

"I have read it." She responded calmly, trying to see around his thick robes to read the first ingredient.

"Funny, I haven't seen your book leave your bag all class so you couldn't possibly have read it already." Snape glared emotionlessly, motioning to the abandoned bag at the foot of her chair.

"I read it on the train, it was a most fascinating book." She mused as she set a fire under her cauldron.

"Are you telling me you've read the entire textbook cover to cover? And here I thought no one could be as bad as Granger" He trailed off with an eye roll. Leaning forward, he whispered, "I don't tolerate show-offs, 1st year."

"Who's showing off?"

"I don't tolerate smart mouths, either."

"I am merely doing the lesson, professor Snape."

"Did you think you could finish before the others and sit there with a smug look on your face?"

"The thought never occurred to me, professor Snape."

"Then what did you think you'd do when you finished? Just leave?"

"Of course not, I would read another text book to pass the time, Professor Snape."

"Do you enjoy saying my name? Sucking up won't help you."

"If you insist, Master."

Snape's eye twitched and he stood up straight, taken back by the choice of title she bestowed upon him.

"Master?" His eyebrows rose ever so slightly as he eyed her curiously.

"Yes, Master." She looked up curiously as if she didn't understand why he found this odd.

He paused and looked at her as if trying to decide whether she was being smart with him again or not. Finally, he said, "What's your name, 1st year?"

"Pierce. Eileen Pierce." She stated matter-of-factly.

Snape's eyes seemed to widen slightly when he heard her name and his face turned pale, as if he could be any paler. Quickly, he turned away and spoke with his back to her, "Do your work in silence and do not disturb my class again, Miss Pierce."

"As you wish, Master." She whispered, returning to her potion intently.

Snape watched her curiously the rest of the class, as if waiting for her to do something that would give him a reason to reprimand her for her actions. But she merely finished her potion and bottled a sample before cleaning up and quietly pulling a textbook from her bag. She read in silence until the bell rang and Snape dismissed his class, waiting for each student to bring up their samples and leave the room.

Eileen was last to present her sample and she finally spoke, saying, "What time do you wish me to be at detention tonight, Master?"

Taken back by her seeming interest in her punishment, Snape stared at her for a moment before saying, "7:30 PM sharp, right after dinner, if you're a moment late Ill give you more detention."

"I look forward to it, Master, have a pleasant day." She drifted out the door before Snape could respond, a puzzled expression on his face as he watched her leave. He'd never met a student yet who looked forward to his punishment, or was she mocking him? He resolved to test this theory later as he swept out of the classroom and barricaded himself within his office, far from any annoying giggles or rambunctious displays of youth.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Two

It was 7:05 PM and Eileen was just entering the great hall for dinner when she noticed Snape wasn't at the table. No doubt he was already waiting for her in his office or hadn't bothered to emerge the rest of the day. She stood staring up at his empty chair for a while until a whining voice behind her said, "I can't believe Snape's got me doing detention with Filch! Of all people, why him?"

She turned to see the same redheaded boy that she had run into the previous night, accompanied by a boy with shaggy black hair and round glasses.

"Would you rather have my detention with Lockhart? At least Filch isn't infatuated with you." The black-haired boy said before noticing Eileen. He nudged the other boy and said, "Ron, isn't that the girl that ran into you last night?"

"Yeah, who could forget? It looks like she fell asleep in a tub of bleach." He eyed her and suddenly decided to approach her, saying toughly, "Oi, you still not going to apologize for running into me last night?"

"No." She said sharply, her eyes burning into his and causing him to blink in surprise.

"No? Well, how's that for ya! What do you make of her, Harry?" Ron turned to the boy beside him and Harry shrugged, saying, "Maybe she was in a hurry."

"So what? I oughta..."

"Tell a teacher? Perhaps I'll get another detention." She almost seemed joyful at the prospect of more detention.

Ron frowned, asking, "Another one? What, you've got detention already too? What did you do?"

"Out of bed past curfew, I got lost." She stated simply, seeming intrigued by the fact that they were actually speaking to her.

"You're a 1st year, right? They should have been easier on you." Harry commented, sounding slightly sympathetic.

"Master Snape gave me detention, isn't it wonderful?" Her eyes danced at the mention of his name and Ron looked utterly revolted.

"Master? Blimey, what's wrong with you? You sound like you like Snape!"

"Don't you?" She looked curiously from Ron to Harry and back as they exchanged glances of their own, seeming to be thinking the same thing: she was bonkers.

Finally, and cautiously, Ron said, "We are talking about the same miserable git with greasy black hair and the bedside manner of a troll, aren't we?"

"I suppose. I must hurry and eat, I wouldn't want to make master wait. Enjoy your detentions, Ron and Harry." And with that, she took her jolly time getting to the Slytherin table where yet again there was a void in which she sat and enjoyed her small meal in solace. After swallowing the last drops of pumpkin juice in her glass, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, dallying out of the room and into the hallway where she found herself at a loss for directions. Looking left then right she pondered over where exactly Snape's office might reside when to her great joy she saw Snape sweeping down a set of stairs leading up to a higher level of the school. He froze when he saw her standing in the middle of the hallway, a look of annoyance on his face as she said, "Master, I'm lost again."

"Are you now...what a pity I had to find you." He sighed, continuing on to the stairs into the dungeon like he hadn't seen her.

Quickly, she hurried after him and strode along side him, seeming to enjoy his glaring as she blinked up at him curiously.

Frowning, he asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Because you're staring at me." She answered simply and truthfully.

"I wasn't staring." He snarled, pulling his robe closer to himself and away from her as she seemed to be growing fond of it flapping against her like a wave in the ocean. He glanced down at her bag and commented, "If you think you'll be reading through detention like you did in my class, you're sorely mistaken."

"Of course not, Master, I dare not leave them in my room."

"Are you afraid they'll miss you too much?"

"No, but they might find themselves in the hands of my fellow Slytherins as they almost did this morning, but Mephistopheles put a stop to that."

"Who's Mephistopheles, your invisible friend?"

"He's my pet." She put it simply, not seeming to want to explain it further as Snape narrowed his eyes.

"I see..." His voice drifted off as they reached his office and he pulled out his wand, tapping the doorknob with it. Something clicked inside and he opened the door, entering the room and leaving the door open for Eileen to follow.

"Shut the door behind you and take a seat." He commanded, not bothering to look at her as he took his own seat behind his desk.

She obeyed promptly and looked inquisitively at the box sitting beside her on the floor filled with various flasks and vials.

"What shall I be punished with?" She asked in an expectant tone, watching the box as she awaited her fate.

"Since you admitted during class today that you have already read all of this years curriculum, I thought you wouldn't have any trouble with identifying the potions inside that box. They are all potions which have been confiscated from students trying to sneak them out of class and I want you to label them for what they are and place them in the empty box beside you when you are done. You will not leave until you have completed the entire box." Snape said coolly and uncaringly, reading over a letter he had picked up off his desk.

She opened the box with an eager air about her as she popped the cork off the first unknown potion. Taking a sniff, she studied it closely before swirling it gently and finally resolving to pour a small amount of it on her arm. Instantly, searing boils erupted on her skin and she seemed quite pleased with the results as she wrote on the sheet of labels "_Bulbadox Powder_".

"What on earth are you doing?" Snape jumped up instantly upon seeing her arm swelling with boils, startling her slightly as she looked up from her work.

"Testing the potion?" Her eyes sparkled inquiringly as he hurried around the desk and pulled a random potion off one of the many shelves around the room.

He uncorked it and quickly let a drop of it hit the boils, making them magically disappear.

She stared at her arm for a moment before saying, "Why did you do that? I thought this was suppose to be punishment."

"You aren't suppose to test them on yourself! You don't even know if they were brewed properly, you could kill yourself and I don't want to be responsible for causing a students death!" He bellowed, looking appalled by her means of discerning the contents of each phial.

"I am sorry, Master, I won't do it again." She said, casting her eyes to the empty box as she leaned over to set the newly labeled phial within it.

Snape frowned and returned to his desk, resigning to keep a closer eye on her as she worked on her detention. 3 hours later, Eileen labeled the final phial and set it triumphantly into the box, carefully closing it and sitting with her hands folded in her lap.

"I'm done, Master. Do you wish to give me more work?" Eileen implored, her eyes pleading for another assignment of some sort.

"No, it's late and I wish to go to bed. You're free to go, perhaps this will have taught you not to disobey the rules again." He stood and crossed the room, opening the door to his office, waiting for her to gather her bag and hurry out in front of him. He walked out and shut the door behind him, locking it with another inaudible spell before turning and seeing Eileen standing patiently as if waiting for something.

She bowed and said softly, "Thank you for my punishment, Master. Pleasant dreams and restful sleep to you." She turned to go and Snape called after her, "Miss Pierce."

"Yes, Master?"

"Why do you keep calling me Master? Professor or sir are more preferable for a student to address a teacher."

"If you wish for me to call you such, I will, Ma - professor, sir." She bowed her head and looked ashamed by slipping up.

Frowning, Snape said quietly, "That'll do, Miss Pierce."

"Yes, sir. Goodnight, sir."

When she finally returned to her room, she found Mephistopheles sitting proudly in his basket, a swatch of black fabric hanging from his mouth as he purred and twitched his tail happily.

"I see they still haven't learned to keep to themselves. Good boy, Mephi."

"He attacked my older sister, she wasn't even trying to steal anything from you!" The small-frightened girl was sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, glaring at the kneazle with loathing disgust.

"Wasn't she now..." Eileen didn't seem to believe her as she began to change into her nightgown.

"She said shes going to report you to the head of the house in the morning! He'll be rid of that thing, it's a menace!"

"I look forward to his decision." She did not smile for she never smiled, even though her eyes were happy enough to make her look rightfully insane. Climbing into bed, she pulled the covers over herself and let Mephistopheles join her on her pillow this time. With a flick of her wand, the desk lamp went out and she whispered a goodnight to her pet who purred in return.

_What an exciting day, _Eileen thought to herself, _I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow, but I hope he doesn't take Mephi away...he's my only friend. Perhaps I can convince him to punish me instead...yes, that seems in good order._

Her thoughts drifted off into a restless sleep filled with nightmares that did not allow her to wake and rid them from her mind until dawn broke and Mephistopheles was hissing at a figure approaching from across the room.

"_Rictusempra_!" Eileen swiftly pulled her wand out from under the pillow where she had been holding it all night and hit the mysterious invader square in the chest, causing them to double over with laughter. She leapt out of her bed and approached the figure rolling with mirth across the floor, unable to cease their hoots and giggles, and said sternly, "If you think you can sneak up on me while I'm asleep, you're wrong. Why must you persist in making off with my things?" She looked closer at the figure and muttered "_lumos_", filling the room with a soft glow and revealing the perpetrator to be the same girl with short black hair that had yelled at her on her first day at Hogwarts.

"Oh, it's you..." She muttered the counter curse and the girl struggled to her feet, glaring fiercely at her as she said, "How...how dare you attack me!"

"Hasn't anyone taught you not to sneak up on others while they're asleep? One can't be responsible for how they react."

"We'll see what Snape has to say about this! You're going to wish you'd shown a little more respect toward your superiors before blasting them with hexes and setting that beast loose!" She screeched pompously, tossing her hair and glaring at her.

"I was unaware that I had shown any of my superiors disrespect, to whom do you refer?" Eileen had an air of defiance in her voice and locked gazes with the girl as if they were throwing invisible darts at each other and wishing great harm to come to them.

"Ooo! You'll rue the day you messed with Pansy Parkinson!" The girl bellowed in a high pitched voice, stalking out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

Scoffing, Eileen turned back to her feline who had been enjoying the battle and muttered, "Pansy? I guess that explains her response to my attack..." Mephistopheles mewed his agreement with his mistress as she got dressed and headed down to breakfast. There she found the entire Slytherin table whispering harshly, even as she approached to find a seat they continued to gossip about the happenings of that morning. Suddenly, as she reached the front of the table and tried to sit, the same bleach blond she knew as "Malfoy" stood and sized her up, saying with a glare, "You're not welcome at this table, perhaps you may do well to join another House from now on."

"But I was placed in Slytherin, one would assume I should sit with them as well." She responded, wondering why he was so foul this morning.

"Mutineers aren't welcomed at our table, ghost, be gone!" He waved his hand at her and the table burst out laughing. She didn't let her blank expression falter as she stared deeply into his equally cold gray eyes and watched him. He frowned and recoiled from her as he said, "Ugh, you are creepy! Hey, I wonder if you have the consistency of a ghost as well." He poked her sharply in the forehead and said with a smirk, "Nope, sadly solid."

By now the rest of the hall had taken notice of this miniature fight and was watching intently to see what she would do in response. She did not remove her gaze from his, staring coldly and cruelly as she muttered, "I warn you, I am a skilled duelist, it would be unwise to challenge me."

"Challenge you? Why would I want to do anything with you? You've been tormenting my girlfriend and I've had just about enough of your ugly face. But I guess you can't help it if your mother looked like that." He had barely gotten this insult out of his mouth when her entire body seemed to seethe with hatred, the hair on her head prickling and her eyes flashing violently.

With the reflexes of a snake striking its prey, she whipped her tiny hand across his cheek with a sickening slap, causing him to stumble backward into some students.

"Draco Malfoy, I challenge you to a duel of magic, wands only! Accept!" Eileen bellowed, her normally soft and airy voice now resounding around the expanse of the hall, bringing everything to a sudden silent standstill.

By now the teachers had been wary of the potential conflict and Snape decided it was about time he took control of the situation within his house, lest he be subjected to further embarrassment. Moving swiftly to the quarreling students, he hissed, "How dare you two disgrace my house!"

"Do you accept or are you a dishonorable coward?" Eileen dared Malfoy, not seeming to notice Snape's towering figure looming over them.

"This is ridiculous - " Snape rolled his eyes before Malfoy shouted, "No one calls me a coward! I accept your challenge, name your game!"

"What do you think you're - " Snape tried to interject but Eileen cut him off.

"The lake, duel until the other is incapable of continuing or concedes to defeat." She said, seeming to be quite thrilled at the aspect of dueling someone, drawing herself up to full height - she barely came up to Malfoy's chin even when standing up straight. He snorted and said with a laugh in his voice, "How are we suppose to duel on the lake? That's impossible!"

"For the feeble-minded, yes, but a mere freezing spell shall solve that problem easily! So what say you? Do you accept my terms?"

He seemed to be considering this when Snape finally said, "I will not allow two of my students to do battle!"

"Oh, why not, Snape? It sounds like a splendid idea! What a perfect way to demonstrate how things are done in the real world! I wish I had thought of it myself" The flamboyant wizard who had been speaking to Snape the other day had strode over to them with a great broad grin plastered on his face, his sparkly robes flowing around him like he was a float in a parade.

"Yeah, you'd love to take credit for this, wouldn't you, Lockhart..." Snape muttered under his breath as the man approached and clapped a hand on his back.

"What do you think, Dumbledore? Should we let the two duke it out? With our proper supervision, of course!" He added as the headmaster seemed to think as much of this as Snape had.

Everyone fell silent and waited for his decision when finally, he stood and said in a clearly amused voice, "Why not? I haven't seen a friendly duel in ages and would like to see this myself."

"Wha - headmaster, I don't think - " Snape stammered, turning his attention to Dumbledore who was beaming almost as much as Lockhart.

"It's settled then! We'll take care of preparing the battleground while you two prepare for the duel! What's say, oh5:45 PM this very evening? Yes, right after class, that should be a fine time to have a duel! Not too hot so the ice should last longer." Lockhart mused almost to himself.

"Then I accept! I'll see you at the bottom of the lake, ghost." Malfoy hissed, storming off with a herd of his groupies in tow.  
Snape looked sharply down at her and hissed in a tone only heard by her, "How dare you. Attacking a student in the dorms and now challenging another to battle? Detention for a week!"

"Splendid, I look forward to it." She sounded almost business-like as she said this, startling Snape into silence as she leaned over and grabbed a croissant off the table and a hard-boiled egg. Turning, she swept from the room and left the entire breakfast occupants in a frenzied uproar over this sudden tournament to look forward to.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Three

"Alright, class, today we will be transforming beetles into matchboxes, hopefully most of you will be able to manage it and for those who do, there will be no homework." Professor McGonagall swept around the room surveying her students work as they attempted the lesson. She frowned as some of the beetles went flying across the room, scolding those who disturbed the class and finally returning to the front of the class where Eileen sat with her nose in a book and a neat pile of matchboxes on the desk before her. She looked her over curiously before saying, "If you like I can give you extra work, Miss Pierce."

"Could you? I do love work...." She shut her book and looked up expectantly.

Glancing at the cover of her book, McGonagall said, "Is that a defense against the dark arts textbook?"

"Yes, I was brushing up on my spells before the duel, I must win." She stated as she swept the matchboxes into the jar the beetles had come from.

"Might I ask, why did you challenge Mr. Malfoy in the first place?" McGonagall inquired as she leaned over her desk to collect a frog from the tank atop it, setting it on Eileen's desk and watching her closely.

"He insulted my mother, I don't mind being personally assaulted but I have no tolerance for others dishonoring those I care for." She responded softly, pointing her wand at the frog and making it transform into a knife. McGonagall blinked and stared in amazement, saying, "Did you speak that spell?"

"No, should I?" Eileen looked up in wonder as her teacher picked up the knife and examined it for any flaws; it was perfect.

"We don't teach unspoken spells until the 6th year, you seem quite advanced for having just started your magical training." McGonagall pointed out as she set the knife on her own desk, for safety reasons.

"My mother always told me I should be prepared for anything and let me read all the books she had used at school, she said I was a natural." Eileen seemed to be enjoying speaking of her schooling prior to Hogwarts, a radiant glow about her despite the lack of expression.

"I see...so you've read all the books for every single year of study we teach at this school?"

"Yes."

"Is that so..." McGonagall raised her eyebrows, motioning to the textbook and saying, "Then why do you need to study for the duel?"

"I thought it would be fair to familiarize myself with which spells are taught in the second year, so as not to make the playing field unfair and to give Draco a chance."

"How very thoughtful of you..." McGonagall trailed off and let Eileen return to her reading, going back to looking over the other students work while being preoccupied with thinking about what Eileen had claimed. Could this be possible? A 1st year with the capability to duel even the best of wizards? All her questions were soon answered upon 5:45 that very evening. It seemed as though the entire school had turned out to watch this spectacle, crowding around the edges of the lake and watching as Eileen and Draco crossed a narrow path to the small expanse of ice that was to be their dueling field. Even random lake wildlife peered out of the water to see why their home had been filled with a chunk of ice.

With a booming voice, Dumbledore called out to them, "Now remember this is a fair fight and any foul play is restricted such as striking an opponent when they're down. There is no time limit and the first to fall into the lake or concede loses the duel. Bow to your opponent."

Eileen and Draco approached each other, both bowing low.

"You're going down, ghost girl." Draco hissed under his breath. She didn't respond as she stood straight, saluted him with her wand, and turned to march back to her side of the field. When both duelers were in place, Dumbledore shouted, "Wands at the ready! And...duel!"

There was a great flurry of robes as both students made to cast the first spell, Draco went first.

"_Stupefy_!" Draco shouted, sending a great red lightning bolt her way.

"_Protego_!" Eileen responded quickly, causing the spell to rebound upon its sender. He dodged out of the way and narrowly missed being knocked unconscious.

"Well, that sure was close! He's a spry chap, isn't he?" Lockhart chattered joyfully next to Snape who looked as though he were ready to use the spell on him.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Draco's spell hit Eileen's wand and it went flying into the air, clattering across the ice away from her.

Draco made to grab for it when she shouted, "_Accio_ wand!" and it returned magically to her hand. The crowd gasped, none of them seemed to believe it was possible to cast magic without a wand but she had managed it, quickly returning to her assault on the now surprised Malfoy.

"_Diffindo_!"

Draco made another narrow escape, finding part of his robe ripped away by the curse as it flew past him. He whipped his cloak off quickly and Eileen did likewise, both flinging them to the sides as they slowly circled, sizing each other up and waiting for an opening.

"Man, she's wicked!" Ron gaped as he stood next to his friend Harry and a bushy-haired girl who seemed on pins and needles after the use of the last spell.

"Oh, he's making a move!" The girl said, bouncing to see over the few students in front of her.

Upon a whim, Malfoy whipped his wand around and bellowed, "_Tarantallegra_!"

It hit Eileen and her legs began dancing all over the place before she responded with, "_Finite_!" which stopped her legs from jerking around and "_Mobilicorpus_!" which caused Malfoy to fly up into the air and dangle there helplessly.

He thrashed around, trying to somehow get free, becoming enraged by the laughter of the crowd. Eileen glanced over at the spectators and saw Snape watching with a look of utter loathing, his lips pursed into a crooked line.

_Master_...She swallowed and released Malfoy, letting him crash to the ice and quickly crawl to his feet. The sharp cracking sound of the ice splitting from the fall startled both duelists and they watched their footing, dancing around the spots where the field had grown weak.

"They're going to fall in!" Ron almost seemed to be cheering.

"I hope Malfoy goes in head first." Harry added, secretly cheering for this mysterious girl that shared his hatred for the obnoxious blond.

"_Aguamenti_!" Draco shouted, blasting Eileen with a jet of water and soaking her from head to toe. With a shake of her hair, she muttered, "Fine then, two can play at that game..._Avis_!" A great flock of colorful birds erupted from her wand, catching her opponent off guard as he watched them fly toward him, giving her time to dodge closer and motion voicelessly in his direction.

Draco began desperately swiping at his hair as it grew so long that it covered his eyes and temporarily blinded him. He desperately sent random curses and jinxes flying in every direction, causing the crowd to scatter and dodge lest they fall prey to whatever it was Draco had conjured. It was inevitable that Draco was about to lose as Eileen dodged closer and closer to him before finding an opening and wordlessly sending his wand flying. With another wave of her wand, he went flying himself and landed with a great splash into the lake. The crowd cheered and Dumbledore announced Eileen the winner as McGonagall hurried to pull Malfoy from the lake before he drowned from the sheer weight of his new mass of hair.

As Eileen returned to shore, Ron ran up to her with a wide grin, saying, "That was brilliant! I didn't know you could cast spells without speaking!"

"You're not suppose until your 6th year." They all turned to see Snape glaring at her, the same expression of hatred in his eyes.

Eileen bowed her head and muttered, "I have done what I set out to do, you may punish me as you see fit now, sir."

"What? You're kidding! You won fair and square, I didn't even know some of the stuff Malfoy was using!" The girl accompanying the boys said with an air of amazement in her voice.

"That's a surprise, I'd half expected you to be giving a play-by-play commentary on what each spell was, Miss Granger." Snape snarled, still obviously angry about something.

She blushed and both boys frowned at him, Ron muttering, "Slimy git..."

"Do not speak of my master that way!" Eileen shouted, pointing her wand at Ron who looked taken back by her sudden defense of Snape.

"Why are you defending him, he's giving you detention for winning a duel!" Ron argued, careful in case she decided to wordlessly curse him as well.

"I earned my detention far before this duel, it doesn't erase my trespasses just because I won my mothers honor back! Do not let me hear you speak ill of Master Snape again, Ron, I do not wish to harm you." With that, she hurried off toward the castle, leaving the three students and teacher staring after her in confusion and shock before Snape quickly stalked off to check on Malfoy's condition.

"Blimey, someone's got a crush on the potions master." Ron sniffed, the thought of such a thing making his stomach churn.

"You think?" Harry said sarcastically, turning to walk back up the grounds with the rest of the dawdling students and get ready for dinner.

Though everyone had been hoping to see Eileen again and ask her how she'd learned all the spells and hexes she used, she did not come to dinner that evening. The only people who didn't seem concerned with her absence were those at the Slytherin table and their head of house. After finishing his meal Snape made his way to his office, pondering what to punish Eileen with that night. He suddenly stopped just feet from his office door. There sitting curled up in front of it was Eileen, waiting patiently for him to return and still soaking wet from the duel.

Upon hearing his footsteps, she looked up as a sparkle filled her eyes and she said, "I'm ready for detention, sir."

"You're wet." He stated the obvious, looking at her curiously. Never had a student actually waited at his door to be punished, this seemed to intrigue and slightly alarm him.

"I deserve it, I made you angry during my duel." She muttered, casting her eyes back into her lap and staring at her wand.

"What are you talking about?" He frowned.

"When I lifted Malfoy into the air, it made Master mad - I'm sorry, I mean sir." She corrected herself.

Snape didn't respond. He watched her for a moment before saying, "Move."

Quietly she stood and stepped aside so as to let Snape open his office door and followed him in, sitting in the chair ready for the evening's detention.

Taking his place behind his desk, he watched her for a moment before saying, "Who taught you to duel like that?"

"My mother did, sir." She responded, her eyes still on her wand in her lap.

"What mother would teach her child such advanced magic before they're properly ready for it? That was a very dangerous thing to do, trusting you not to use it against her or others. I should have a word with her."

"You can't." She muttered.

"And why not?" Snape seemed insulted by her seemingly defiant remark, narrowing his eyes.

"She's dead, sir." She responded softly, unflinchingly.

There was a long pause before he said, "Then your father will do."

At this, she gave a slight jerk and said, "He's...not my legal guardian anymore."

Snape's eyebrow cocked up at this show of emotion and leaned forward over his desk, folding his hands under his nose and surveying her carefully.

"Then who is your legal guardian?"

"No one, sir...I live alone." She whispered, the volume of her voice slowly becoming fainter and fainter.

"Alone? How on earth did you manage to come to this school then?"

"I used my mothers things and the money she gave me before she - " Eileen stopped mid-sentence before saying in a stronger and still distant voice, "What do you wish to punish me with tonight, sir?"

Frowning, Snape stared into her eyes for a brief moment before saying, "What happened to your mother?"

Her face went stiff as she muttered, "Please, sir, give me my punishment..."

"Perhaps this is your punishment." Snape responded emotionlessly, trying to read her but finding it a difficult task.

"I...I do not wish to speak of it, sir." She whispered.

"Can you not recall what happened to your mother?" Snape asked with a slight hiss.

The pupil in her right eye shrunk almost to a pinpoint as she began to shiver, muttering, "Can...can I...recall? Recall...I...mother...she..." With a great shutter, she brought her wand up and began cursing herself, boils springing up on her skin and sizzling violently as they burst and spread like wildfire.

Snape acted quickly, expelling her wand from her hand and banishing the boils away as she began to whimper. With a gasp, she fell forward and Snape caught her before her head hit the desk, exclaiming, "Miss Pierce!"

But she had lost consciousness, her pale skin damp with cold sweat and lingering effects of the boils. With a look of absolute shock, Snape tried bringing her around but nothing seemed to work, not even magic could rouse her so he resigned to carrying her to the hospital wing.

"Good heavens, what's happened to her?" A graying nurse hurried over to Snape as he laid Eileen on a bed near the doors to the hospital wing, turning and saying, "I believe she must have been hit by a Confundus Charm during the duel, she tried to harm herself."

"And she's soaking wet with the beginnings of a fever, the poor thing...I'll have her better in no time." She quickly waved her wand and dried Eileen's clothes before bustling around gathering potions and healing concoctions to ease the effects of her self-inflicted punishment.

Snape stood back against the wall watching in silence, still taken back by her reaction to his questioning as thoughts ran loose in his mind. Why had she tried to hurt herself? He had passed the first attempt off as merely misunderstanding his orders or shear stupidity but this was deliberate. She must be hiding something from him, probably something illegal that had been done that she thought would result in her expulsion from the school. But why not just lie to him, he was quite used to students lying to him about things, but burning their arm off? This seemed a bit severe to him and only caused more thoughts to occur. Was she mentally unstable? Could she be a possible safety threat to the other students? She proved quite dangerous when she felt threatened by others and had already proved she was willing to dish out punishment of her own as she saw fit. He had to do something about this; perhaps if he went to Dumbledore he could have her taken away to St. Mungos permanently under the ruse that she was clinically deranged. Just then, the nurse had exclaimed "Really!" and Snape focused his attention again on Eileen who was sitting up in bed, fighting off the nurse's attempts at healing her.

"No, you mustn't! You mustn't!" Eileen shouted, trying to flee when Snape stepped up and said, "What's going on?"

"Master! I cannot learn my lesson if she takes them away from me!" Eileen seemed distraught, panting as she wrestled with the healer to keep a phial of potion away from her mouth.

"Learn your...cease this, foolish child!" Snape shouted and Eileen immediately stopped struggling, staring at him in confusion, "But...my punishment..."

"I did not approve of it! Do not take such matters into your own hands ever again or I will have you expelled for continuous defiance of authority!"

"Of course, sir, it wont happen again." She bowed her head, feeling dejected as the nurse looked completely aghast by what was going on.

"And you will allow Madam Pomfrey to heal you without further argument, do you understand?" Snape glared at her.

"As you wish, sir." She lay back down and let Pomfrey give her the potion.

Relaxing his stance, Snape continued to stare down at Eileen who looked utterly ashamed of herself, any normal girl would have been crying by now but she merely lay silently staring at the ceiling.

"She'd do good to rest as well, Professor." Pomfrey commented, under the impression the only way she would do so is under Snape's orders.

"Do as Madam Pomfrey says, Miss Pierce." Snape muttered and Eileen quickly closed her eyes, drifting into a restless sleep as the two adults resolved to herd toward the far side of the room, closest to Pomfrey's office.

"I believe she should feel better as soon as the potions do their job, I've never seen such a case of Confundus in a student before, it must have been quite a strong spell!" Pomfrey whispered, looking back at Eileen with a sympathetic frown. Snape said nothing but nodded, staring as well and knowing that she had not been hit by any of the rogue spells Draco had let loose, he had been closely watching the entire battle. In fact, she seemed to have let Draco hit her the few times he did, as if to give him the opinion he had a chance of winning. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered a farewell to Madam Pomfrey and started across the infirmary, almost to the door when he heard Eileen mutter in her sleep, "Father...father, please..."

Snape gazed at her quizzically before opening the door and sweeping out into the hallway, returning to his office.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Four

Weeks passed as Eileen spent her days doing extra credit work and her nights peacefully enduring tasks Snape set her to do for detention. He didn't bring up the topic of her parents again for fear she would have a similar reaction, even though he'd taken the precaution of hiding her wand in his desk while she was in his presence. It was the night before Halloween and Eileen was quietly finishing the 378th line of repeated text, elegantly scribbling "I will not attack fellow students" on the bottom of the page before raising her head, saying, "I'm out of parchment, sir, may I have some more?"

"Hmm?" Snape looked up from a pile of homework he was grading and blinked at the mound of parchment she was buried in, cocking an eyebrow at the amused expression on her face. During the time they had spent together, Eileen had begun showing hints of emotion and even smiled when he told her to clean all the girls bathrooms with a toothbrush. He didn't understand why she enjoyed it but at least she was calm and collected again.

"I need more parchment, I have 22 more lines to do." She replied.

"Write on the other side." He waved his hand but she picked up the parchment and motioned to it, saying, "I've already done that. Shall I write it on my arm?"

"No, that won't be necessary." He quickly responded, the idea of her putting a sharp object anywhere near herself not appealing to him.

"If you say so, sir." Eileen began looking over the parchment for any free space but she did a thorough job of covering it with her handwriting.

With a keen eye, he watched her and said, "Since it's already going on 11:30 PM, perhaps it is best you stop for the night and finish it tomorrow. Oh...the feast." He remembered and continued, "Tomorrow is Halloween so consider it a holiday break. We will resume your detentions the day after tomorrow and then you can finish your current punishment. Do not do it outside of my office, do you understand?"

"Of course, I wouldn't think of it!" Eileen remarked, looking surprised he would ever imagine her trying to evade her proper punishing schedule.

She began to wind up the parchments when Snape asked, "Miss Pierce...might I ask you a question?"

She dropped the parchment and stared at him, the joy falling from her face as the roll clattered across the stone floor.

"A...question, sir?" She whispered, frozen in anxious anticipation of what he had in mind.

"Yes. What do you plan on doing for the feast?"

Blinking, she relaxed and looked surprised as she leaned over to gather the parchment she dropped, saying in a stronger voice, "Plan on doing? Eating, I suppose..."

"The Slytherins still do not allow you to sit with them and the other houses are beginning to grow weary of your presence as well." Snape stated simply, keeping his eyes on her.

This was true, ever since she defeated Draco in the duel, the Slytherin students had been shunning her everywhere she went. They tried to keep her out of the dormitory but Mephistopheles put an end to that and began patrolling the common room and hiding at random so that no one would dare defy him. But the students had succeeded in shutting her out of the dining table by spacing themselves out enough to guard every inch of its surface from her. She tried sitting at the far ends of different house tables every mealtime but their occupants began to stare incessantly and whisper behind her back at how she was being exiled from her own house.

Through all of this, she had not shown the slightest bit of concern but Snape had noticed her steady desire to do more and more grueling tasks as if trying to inadvertently punish herself for being unpopular. She hadn't been happy with being given lines but after catching her flushing her head in the toilet with a cackling ghost floating over her egging her on, he wasn't eager to give her any more chances of committing suicide.

"I...suppose I shall grab some food and return to the dorm to dine with Mephi, he might enjoy it." She mused, putting the last roll of parchment onto the neat little pyramid she had made on her desk.

"Why do you let them govern your actions, Miss Pierce?" Snape asked, turning to face her and fold his arms over his chest, leaning back into his chair.

"What do you mean, sir?" She asked curiously.

"You don't have to let them shut you out and yet you do. Why do you care what they think of you?"

"I don't care what they think, but you told me not to cause anymore trouble. It seems simpler to just avoid being anywhere near them, it would give them no chance of saying anything to enrage me." She explained thoughtfully, as if she had been brooding on these facts for a while.

"I will know if they are causing trouble and give the trouble maker their due punishment, do not take matters into your own hands."

"But sir..." She stopped and looked down, it wasn't often she argued with him and he raised his eyebrows, almost purring, "Go on."

"I do not want you to have to do anything to defend me, I don't deserve it. They have every right to hate me." She muttered, not daring to meet his gaze.

"So you will avoid them for 6 more years? How will you manage that?" He seemed amused now.

"I will just take my food back to the dormitory." She explained.

"I see...what if I don't want you to?"

Looking up suddenly, she blinked and said in surprise, "Sir?"

"I do not tolerate weakness in my students and I consider running from ones problems as a weakness. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. You...want me to return to the Slytherin table and eat with them then? What if they shut me out again?" She looked somewhat upset about this and he cleared his throat, saying, "There won't be a problem, just do as I say."

"Yes, sir." She bowed her head and fiddled with the pleats of her skirt.

Frowning, Snape said, "Why does this make you upset? Do you enjoy being hated?"

She didn't respond right away, instead she clenched her fists in her lap and grimaced, muttering something under her breath he couldn't quite make out.

"Excuse me?" He narrowed his eyes as she looked up with a smile, saying, "Of course not, sir. But..."

"Yes?"

"Nothing, it's not important. As you've said, sir, it's late and I should be in bed."

"Yes, of course, you may go." He leaned forward and picked up another essay to grade as Eileen rose from her seat and turned to leave. She pulled the door open and whispered, "Pleasant dreams, sir," before leaving the room.

Snape glanced up and watched the door shut quietly, a look of unease at being wished such delightful thoughts every night for the past few weeks despite having forced her to do terrible things as penitence for merely choosing to defend herself. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he was beginning to feel uncomfortable with choosing punishments every night she came back for more with a joyful greeting and a determined heart.

OoOoOoOo

Halloween was full of gleeful students playing pranks on each other and racing around the leaf-covered grounds chasing the few fleeting moments of a break between classes. A pair of redheaded twins were making mischief throughout the day at random, Passing the blame off onto a poltergeist that inhabited the school. They even managed to get their younger brother Ron in trouble with McGonagall for catching him snickering under his breath near a set of singing pumpkins that had burst into song when she passed them in the great hall, singing "Minerva" by the Deftones, a well-known Muggle band. Various other unsuspecting or merely curious passersby were subjected to songs about them, filling the great hall with cheerful and sometimes rather catchy tunes about everyone.

Finally, all the students gathered into the great hall for the Halloween feast and were chattering away happily, even the teachers seemed to be enjoying themselves as the enchanted pumpkins sang another rousing song.

__

"Go ahead and fight, ohohohohohoh

Go ahead, don't be a pansy, ohohohohohoh

Go ahead, will you fight?"

"Bloody pumpkins..." Pansy Parkinson grumbled as she sat down at the Slytherin table with Draco, glaring over her shoulder at them as they drifted off into different tune.

As the room filled with banter, Snape watched the entrance for signs of Eileen sneaking in but she was mysteriously absent. Beginning to think she had finally decided to stop listening to his orders, he heard the pumpkins singing again.

__

"Come on Eileen! Well, I swear (what he means)

At this moment, you mean everything

With you in that dress, my thoughts I confess

Verge on dirty ......

Ah, come on Eileen!"

Snape didn't bother with pondering how she had managed to get in unnoticed but watched closely to see how the Slytherins would respond. They were all cackling at the lyrics to the song as they continued to resound since she had not yet sat down.

"Excuse me, could you please let me sit there?" Eileen asked softly to a 5th year that was sitting with his legs stretched across an expanse twice his required seating.

"Sorry, I'm saving these seats for some of my friends, better look elsewhere." He sneered, the kids at the table laughing boisterously and copying his actions by taking up the open seats in various means: legs, bodies, bags, spilled drinks and food. She moved slowly around the table, the students covering up in her wake and laughing when she would try to gently force her way in.

__

"Come on, Eileen, taloora aye

Come on, Eileen, taloora aye

Go toora loora toora loo rye aye"

"The pumpkins seem to like you, ghost girl! I rather like this song, it suits you! Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!" Draco bellowed, another uproar of hoots and howls chiming in all around the table. They began to sing along with the song and Eileen stared at the floor, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as she tried desperately not to retaliate upon them.

Growing disgusted with her lack of assertiveness, Snape rose and swept down to the Slytherin table where he grabbed Malfoy by the back of the collar and hissed, "If you don't let her sit down and end that infernal song, you'll have detention for a week! It's giving me a headache!"

"But she likes it! Look at her, she couldn't be happier!" Draco motioned to Eileen who was staring up at him with a burning hatred in her eyes.

Finally, when about the 10th run-through of the chorus played, she raised her wand sharply and the pumpkins exploded, causing everyone in the room to scream in surprise as they were showered in orange chunks. She ran out of the great hall in the wake of the disturbance and Snape gave Draco a rough shove into the table, staring after her retreating form with a deep-set frown.

Finally, he returned to the head table and took his seat again, stabbing at an innocent potato like it was the reason this all happened.

"I would go after her if I were you, Severus." Turning, Snape met Dumbledore's gaze with slight annoyance before sighing and rising again, stalking out the employee entrance behind the table. He searched everywhere for her but she was not hiding in her usual places: his office, the library, the dormitory - he had called up to the girls dorm rooms to make sure she wasn't hiding where he could not go, all the girls bathrooms - to a few students' surprise, and finally he resolved to search the grounds. Stalking across fields and hills, sweeping the lawns with his wand light until spotting a faint glimmer out by the lake. Quickening his pace, the light grew closer until he made out the small quivering form huddled against the chilly October wind, its white hair shimmering in the pale moonlight as it danced on the breeze like silk.

"What are you doing out here alone, students aren't allowed outside so late." Snape barked, apparently saying just the wrong thing as she began to sob into her knees. Shifting uneasily, he added more softly, "Why did you not return to my office like you usually do?"

"I've...I've disappointed you again, sir." She sobbed. He stared down at her with a frown and said, "It's not your fault they're such pathetic excuses of human beings now stop crying, Miss Pierce."

"Y-yes, sir..." She sniffed, collecting what little nerve she had left and hugging her knees tightly in an attempt to distract herself from the pain she felt.

Walking to her side, Snape crouched and poked his wand close to her face to light it up, saying, "Now come back inside."

"Yes, sir..." She shivered as a sharp wind broke over them, shrinking further into her robes to remain warm. With a flick of his wrist, he flung his robe into the wind to block it. Eileen looked up into his cold black eyes with curiosity as he muttered, "Why did you come out here anyway? You're not trying to punish yourself again, are you?"

"N-no, sir..." She whispered, "I always hide outside when I don't want anyone to find me, I normally find shelter in the woods but I was told not to go in that one." Motioning to the Forbidden Forest, she added, "I suppose you'll think me childish for running from my problem."

"Perhaps...why do you find solace in the outdoors?" He asked in a low voice as if he might attract attention to them by speaking at a normal level.

"It's the only place where I feel safe. The wind doesn't mock you, the trees don't gossip behind your back, the birds don't insult you with their songs. Speak ill of nature if you must, but at least it won't reject you just because you're different." She wiped the tears from her face, resigning to gazing out across the black lake.

Snape watched her in silence for a long while before saying, "If you live alone at home, who is there to mock you? You never mentioned a school or orphanage or any other children in your past."

"I never said I was hiding from other children, sir." She whispered, reaching down and touching the hem of his robe as it brushed against her legs in the wind, fiddling subconsciously with it.

"Who then? You're father?" Snape inquired, a little twitch in his eye at her touching his garment.

Whimpering, Eileen brought the cloak up to her face and hid in it, saying, "Please don't, sir, I can't..."

"Why not." Snape asked carelessly, making to pull his cloak from her grasp.

"It hurts too much to remember...you can understand, can't you, sir?" Her muffled voice carried across the darkness that shrouded them, hitting him like a ton of bricks as his heart skipped a beat.

"Why do you assume that?" He hissed, glaring at her in the dim wandlight.

"I don't know, it's just...you seemed so interested in my parents I thought maybe...you knew what it was like." She whispered cautiously.

"What what was like?" He narrowed his eyes as she shook her head, saying, "It's not important, it's none of my business, I shouldn't have made that assumption."

"No, tell me." He leaned closer to her, his eyes boring into her as if daring her to look up at him.

"I...I can't, please!" She shook her head and Snape grabbed her arm, hissing, "What have you heard?"

"Heard? What - I don't - " She stammered, finally meeting his gaze with surprise and shock at his sudden show of aggression.

"Who sent you here? Tell me now, girl!" He shouted, shaking her slightly.

"No one!" She responded in shock, her eyes full of fear.

"Don't lie to me, why are you here!" He bellowed, threatening to pull her arm clean off if she didn't confess soon.

"Please, sir, you're hurting me..." She whimpered, beginning to cower against his menacing grasp.

"Tell me!"

"I...I can't - "

"Tell me or I'll have you expelled!"

"I'm hiding!" She cried, her eyes beginning to water and threatening to let tears fall if he shook her any harder.

"From who?"

"Please, sir..."

"WHO!"

"MY FATHER!" Her voice echoed across the lake as Snape stared at her, the troubling truth flooding her eyes and telling him she was far from lying to him about anything.

She let out a weak sob before looking away in an attempt to hide her tears from him.

Frowning and loosening his grip, Snape asked, "Your father? Why?"

"Oi, what's goin' on over there?" A booming voice broke the tension as Hagrid came marching across the lawn toward them, having most likely heard them on his way back to his cabin for the night.

Moving quickly, Snape swept in front of Eileen and blocked her from his view, saying, "It's none of your concern."

"None o' my concern? It ruddy well is my concern if yer yellin' at students in the dead o' night!"

"Please excuse me, Mr. Hagrid, I was out of line by coming outside unaccompanied, he was merely reprimanding me for my trespasses." Eileen spoke up, stepping out from behind Snape, to his annoyance.

"Sure didn' sound like it ter me." He frowned, looking down at her with concern in his voice.

"Perhaps you are mistaken, all the noise from the singing pumpkins most likely caused many peoples hearing to go funny during dinner." She reasoned.

"I s'pose so...but still, he don' have no rights yellin' at yeh." Hagrid argued, giving Snape a stern look as he glared back.

"What I do with my students is my business." Snape snarled.

"It is growing late, I should be back inside before I miss curfew. Have a lovely evening, Mr. Hagrid." Eileen said, bowing and turning to return to the school.

"Oh, alrigh' then..." Hagrid muttered, watching her go before turning back to Snape and saying, "I don' think Dumbledore would be very happy with yer treatment o' students, Professor. I'll be tellin' him next time I catch yeh doin' it."

"Don't worry, I won't give you the pleasure of catching me again." Snape hissed under his breath before whipping around and following Eileen's retreating form huddled against the wind. As he entered the school entrance way, he heard a commotion upstairs and ran to find the teachers hurrying upstairs, making to follow them and leaving Eileen to dawdle in her slower pursuit. Reaching the cause of the commotion, Snape was met with the scene of water all over the floor and Mr. Filch's cat hanging from a hallway lamp with blood on the wall saying "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware." and the three most unlucky students standing looking just as surprised if not guilty of finding this scene themselves.

Eileen walked up behind the teachers and was straining to see what was so fascinating as she heard the familiar shrieks of Filch accusing the children of murdering his cat. Before long, the teachers were ushering the crowd of students off to bed - excluding Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were found at the scene, and Eileen found herself staring up at Snape curiously.

"We will finish our discussion tomorrow, go to bed." He hissed, motioning toward the stairs she had just come up. With a look of dejection, she turned and descended the stairs and left the fiasco not even aware of what had really happened and not concerning herself with it in the slightest. All she knew is that she had said more than she had wanted to and wasn't looking forward to further questioning from her master at her next session of detention.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Five

The entire school seemed to be buzzing with the rumors of the mysterious chamber, students whispering through the halls and during mealtimes about who the heir could be and what this chamber really was. Some daring souls risked asking their teachers what they knew about it but only the few who had attended Professor Binns' class that morning knew the truth. Being the gossip hogs that they were, the Slytherin table was in an uproar over this turn of events as Draco lay claim to being the heir. Distracted by his absurd statements, no one noticed Eileen slip into a seat on the far end of the table. Eileen ate her normal dinner rolls and slice of ham before tucking leftovers away for Mephistopheles.

"I always knew I was destined for greatness, this is living proof!" Draco could be heard telling his fans and peers, "Did you see that stupid cat hanging there? I hope it's dead, I'm sick of it sniffing after me in the halls, such a foul sight."

Eileen chanced a glance toward the head table and caught Snape staring at her, or perhaps past her as he was absent-mindedly scooting a pea around his plate with his fork. Thinking him still cross over Halloween night, a sigh graced her lips as she slowly stood to leave.

"Hey look, it's ghost girl!" The shrill voice of Pansy echoed down the table as all attention was drawn to her instead of Draco, who, despite having been in mid-story, turned and cheerfully said, "I bet she misses her theme song, shall we sing it for her?" And the entire table broke out in chorus, singing the pumpkins song merrily and loudly over everyone's chatter so that other students began to stare.

With a whip of her hair, she turned sharply and left the room, laughter following her out into the hallway as she fought the urge to turn around and give them a piece of her mind. She was barely down two steps to the dungeons when a familiar deep tone called out, "Miss Pierce, a moment?" She froze, not daring to meet his gaze as he approached her. With a swipe at his robes, flinging them to the sides, he crossed his arms and glared down his hooked nose, snarling, "Why aren't you signed up for the Dueling Club?"

"Dueling...Club, sir?" Eileen's eyes blinked curiously and unknowingly up at him.

"Yes, a sign-up sheet was posted in the dorms this morning and your name was not on the list, I want to know why."

"I saw no sheet, sir." She replied honestly.

Raising his eyebrows, he said, "It was on the bulletin board, you know, that great big tan thing attached to the wall by the stairs? There's paper all over it, quite handy for posting sign-up sheets on it and other such important announcements."

"I know what it is, I check it everyday to make sure I don't break anymore rules, sir."

"I see" He frowned and Eileen added, "I woke up late this morning, perhaps it was collected before I could sign it."

"Unlikely." He said finally, concluding that her fellow housemates most likely removed it before she could find it, "In any case, here it is." He pulled it out from inside his robes and produced a self-inking quill.

She stared at the paper, looking at the names on the list and saying, "That's a lovely list, sir."

"I want you to sign it."

"Why, sir?"

"Why not?" He cocked an eyebrow in annoyance.

Her eyes fell on the familiar first name atop the list and said, "I do not require further training, sir, others should have the chance of learning with other inexperienced duelists. It wouldn't be fair for me to join."

"Students of all years are joining the club, it is not strictly for 1st years, Miss Pierce. You will find the 6th and 7th years more of a challenge, Im sure, and you can educate those who aren't as skilled how to duel properly. Now sign."

"But...I thought you didn't like know-it-alls, sir."

He looked taken back and said, "I...don't argue with me, just sign it!"

"Yes, sir." Eileen whispered, taking the quill and adding her name to the bottom of the list. Rolling up the parchment and snatching back the quill, he grinned and said, "Consider this further punishment for your insolence, perhaps I'll pair you with Longbottom, that should be disastrous enough for you. The first meeting begins at 3:30 PM this afternoon, do not be late." With that, he swept off down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.

Eileen stared after him briefly before continuing her journey back to the dorms. Upon entering the common room, she made her way up the spiraling staircase, walking into the 1st year bedroom and being greeted by the soft mew of her kneazle.

It leapt off her trunk and trotted happily up to his mistress, sniffing her bag expectantly. Rummaging through the books and supplies, she pulled out the ham she had smuggled and knelt to give it to him.

"I couldn't get as much as usual, Ill make up for it tonight." She said softly, stroking Mephistopheles lovingly. With a sigh, she whispered, "Master's asked me to join a club, I was surprised when he stopped me cause he hasn't spoken to me much since Halloween, but you know that already." Mephistopheles purred his agreement and she said, "Mother always hoped I would fit in, even if father didn't think so, maybe I'll make a friend in the club. You know..." Her eyes looked sadly into the shining yellow orbs staring up at her, "Master...is a lot like father." The kneazle hissed and Eileen merely smiled down appreciatively.

OoOoOoOo

Echoes of eager whispers and shuffling feet filled the great hall at 3:30 PM, crowds of students gathering on either side of a long platform erected in the middle of the room, taking the place of the four house tables that had been stacked against the walls.

"Welcome to the first ever Dueling Club at Hogwarts! I had the brilliant idea that we should take a new approach of learning to defend ourselves, what better way than having a friendly fight with fellow students? Now I'm sure many of you are not familiar with the rules of wizard dueling, that is why our very own Professor Snape has volunteered to help with this little demonstration! Let's give him a hand for being such a good sport!" Lockhart bellowed cheerfully from one end of the platform, decked out in an elegant robe obviously not made for combat.

The crowd clapped dully as Snape stepped up onto the field, a look of annoyance and dislike for Lockhart etched into every inch of his scowl. He glanced around the crowd quickly and found Eileen hiding at the back of the room staring at her shoes as she sat on one of the dining tables, looking most reluctant to even be there. She paid no attention as Lockhart began explaining the proper steps of dueling: bowing, saluting your opponent with your wand, and returning to your respective side of the field. When the crowd began gasping in utter amusement, she looked up to catch Lockhart's robes fluttering out of sight after Snape blasted him off his feet. With a renewed respect for her master, she smiled as Lockhart indignantly staggered to his feet, congratulating Snape on the wonderful demonstration of an offensive spell.

Snape merely rolled his eyes in boredom, seeming thoroughly tired of Lockhart's inane babbling. Before Eileen knew what was going on, the teachers were wading through the crowd pairing students up to practice dueling as a show of how much they knew. Snape came toward her with a rather tall and bored-looking young man with scruffy brown hair, saying, "Miss Pierce, This is McGarner, he is a 7th year and more than likely a challenge for your skill level. Try not to kill each other." With that, Snape strode off to make sure everyone had been paired up and left the two students to stare at each other.

"Hello." Eileen said plainly, not showing much emotion on her face or in her voice.

"Let's just get this over with." McGarner moaned, stepping back to give her space in order to fight in. Hopping off the table, she took her stance and they waited for Lockhart to tell them when to start.

The second the words "GO!" had left Lockhart's mouth, half the room was filled with ricocheting sparks and bolts of light, children falling everywhere and groaning in agony.

Eileen began the duel with an unspoken curse and caused a large wart to grow on the boys nose, to which he cursed in disbelief as if he hadn't sensed it coming.

"What? You're a 7th year, you should know unspoken spells by now." She said simply, not appearing to care that he was devastated by her attack.

"I wasn't ready!" He shouted.

"He said go, you should have been prepared." She grew bored of his whining and said as he tried to complain more, "_Silencio_." And he was cut off mid-grumble, a look of utter horror on his face when he realized his voice was gone.

Turning, he ran to the teacher and tried to explain what she'd done, unfortunately Lockhart was too ignorant to know a silencing spell when he saw it.

"What's wrong? I'm sorry, I don't understand sign language. You need to go to the bathroom?" Lockhart asked as the boy motioned frantically and Snape stared at the ceiling in disgust.

"He's been silenced, Lockhart." Snape growled impatiently.

"Oh, of course! I knew that...I'll have that fixed in a jiffy! _Vocalis Returnus_!" Lockhart chanted and with a wave of his wand, the boy screamed inaudibly.

"You've just removed his vocal cords, Lockhart." Snape glared at him like he was a complete idiot, which he was beginning to prove without much difficulty.

"Oh dear...you'd best go to the hospital wing, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you now!" Lockhart said sincerely, patting the shocked boy on the shoulder.

"I think you've done quite enough already, perhaps you should call an end to this madness?" Snape suggested as the boy ran from the room.

It had barely been 2 minutes and a third of the room was on the floor in utter exhaustion, pain, embarrassment, or lack of consciousness. Eileen on the other hand had resumed her place on the table and was watching the chaos ensue with slight interest and amusement.

Lockhart frantically called an end to the dueling and Snape briskly set out to undo the damage done by the inexperienced duelers, yelling at a few of them for using spells he had strictly stated against club regulations. Slowly, the chaos was brought to a mellow calm as Lockhart mounted the platform once again and asked for two students to come up and demonstrate how to actually block an attack, since this seemed to be the biggest issue they all had. Eileen was now ignoring what was going as she was upset by the fact that not even a 7th year seemed apt to battle her and she highly doubted the teacher of the class could prove more of a challenge.

The room erupted in screams of terror and her eyes widened in curiosity, whatever had frightened the crowd wasn't visible to her from her perch. But before she had bothered to move closer for a better look, the boy she knew as Harry had stepped forward and was hissing at the ground. She didn't quite understand what it was yet the others in the room seemed taken back and quite aghast at his odd speech, even Snape was disturbed by it. A split second later and the class was over, a wave of students moving quickly from the room and away from the scene that had been put to an end by Snape.

Ron called to Harry and he joined him and Hermione as they left the room together, leaving Eileen alone with an irate Snape.

"Sir?" Eileen spoke cautiously, watching him closely.

"Class is over, get out!" Snape shouted at her.

Her eyes wide with fear, she jumped down and tore across the room and out the open doors, leaving Snape to put the room right in solitude.

OoOoOoOo

That night, Eileen only entered the great hall in order to grab a couple chicken legs for Mephistopheles and rush back out lest she endure anymore torment from her house. She figured if she let the other gossip in the school surpass her actions, she would be safe to return unnoticed but was not yet prepared to chance it. Mephistopheles was grateful for the hoard of food presented to him, storing the remains inside his basket for later munching. Letting out a great sigh, Eileen collapsed onto her bed and stared up at the tapestry with vacant exhaustion in her eyes.

"I don't feel so well, Mephi...I've never done so much before in my life, I'm not sure if I can manage it. I ran all the way here, you know." She muttered, feeling the kneazle walking across the bed toward her and not flinching when he sniffed her face, tickling her with his whiskers. Turning her head, she looked him in the eyes and said, "I wish we could trade places for a while, then I could rest in here while you learn magic. It's not like I really need to be here, I already know everything they're teaching me. Perhaps I'll go to the library and read all the books, I'm sure there's something in there I don't know...and I can prove to master that I don't know everything." With great effort, she lifted her thin arm and looked at the delicate watch on her wrist, seeing that it was currently 7:40 PM.

She let it fall back to the bed as she said, "Well...time for detention. Keep the bed warm for me, Mephi." She rolled off the bed and staggered to her feet, slowly making her way toward the door and ambling down the stairs, nearly tripping on the last step as she stumbled on out the common room entrance and off to Snape's office. She tried not to notice a small group of Slytherins chanting her pumpkin song as they passed her on their way back from dinner, she even ignored Peeves attempts to bother her as she meandered down the empty corridor to her destination. By the time she'd gotten there, it was 7:47 and Snape was cross as ever.

"You're late." He barked as she entered after a brief struggle to open the door.

"Sorry, sir." She mumbled, routinely sitting in the chair and pulling her wand out, setting it on the desk.

"_Accio_, wand." Snape said simply, Eileen's wand flying into his hand where he then made to stow it in his desk for the time being. He paused and looked her over intently, saying, "Are you ill?"

"No, sir." She responded weakly, her eyes unfocused on the desk before her.

He narrowed his eyes before plopping her wand into the drawer and snapping it shut, turning his attention to a pile of paper on his desk and saying, "You'll manually shred this paper and put it in that waste basket. The gamekeeper has requested the teachers to give him all their wasted parchments for some creatures he's growing so I've dug up some old school work of dead Hogwarts alumni, obviously they won't be needing it anymore." He levitated a pile onto her desk and turned his attention to more essays needing grading.

The work was slow and tedious, she kept getting paper cuts and her hands were covered in ink residue, infecting the cuts and causing quite annoying pain to shot through her hands as she ripped more and more. Finally, she had managed to tackle half the pile given to her when Snape looked up two hours later and commented, "That's all you've done? You're usually a lot quicker at this, why have you slowed down?"

"S-sorry, sir." She replied vaguely, subconsciously ripping the parchment in her hand and scattering it in the general direction of the basket, much of it missing and falling to the floor. Snape frowned and said obviously, "You missed."

"Sorry...sir..." She slowly bent over and began swatting at the shreds in an attempt to pick them up, her grip loose and sloppy. 10 minutes later, she had the mess cleaned up and Snape was looking quite deep in thought, watching her closely and studying her motions.

"Are you quite sure you are not ill?" He asked again.

"Yes, sir." She sighed, looking at the pile of paper still requiring shredding and feeling a great regret wash over her.

"I do not believe you, you look horrid."

"Yes, sir."

"You are hereby expelled from Hogwarts."

"Yes, sir."

"Miss Pierce, are you even listening to me?" Snape stood and swept around his desk, standing directly in front of Eileen's desk and leaning close to her face. She looked up blearily and said, "Yes, sir?"

"Why are you here, Miss Pierce?" Snape saw this as a moment to finally question her, seeing her guard lowered quite a bit out of sheer exhaustion.

"Because you gave me detention, sir." She muttered, not able to focus her gaze on Snape.

"I am referring to your attendance at this school, you said you were hiding from your father, did you not? Why are you hiding from him?"

"Mother told me to."

"You said your mother was dead, has this changed since we last discussed this?"

"No, sir, she died a year ago. She wished me not to be with my father, she said I would be safe here and that he couldn't find me."

"Why did your mother tell you to hide from him? Is he dangerous? A criminal, perhaps?"

"Criminal? No, sir, he was never convicted..."

"Convicted? Convicted of what?"

"He..." She swayed slightly, her eyes fluttering as they threatened to close.

Frowning, Snape pulled his wand out and she suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring at him with a sudden burst of renewed energy.

"Oh!" She gasped, realizing what was going on and clasping her dirty hands over her mouth.

"Now tell me, what was your father not convicted of?" Snape repeated, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh no...no no no, I can't..." She shook her head violently and made to get up. Snape grabbed her roughly, holding her captive in the chair and saying, "Your father, what is his name!"

"I...I don't know!" She whimpered, slowly straining at his firm grip and wincing in pain.

"Liar, how could you not know your father's name!" Snape shouted, threatening to shake her again.

"I didn't see him that often, sir, only when he - " Her eyes widened and she stared at him in horror, gasping, "Don't..."

"Don't what, I don't see why you insist on hiding things from me." He snarled cruelly.

"You hide things, sir...I can tell." She whispered, her shimmering blue eyes staring right through Snape as if he were nothing more than smoke in the room. With an enraged growl, he raised his wand into the air.

She began to scream and shield herself from his blow and he froze as she begged, "Please, daddy, I didn't mean to speak out of turn, don't hurt me!"

The room fell silent. As Eileen quivered and silently sobbed, she felt the grip on her arm ease and Snape pulled his hand away from her.

Backing into his desk, he hissed softly, "Go." He did not have to wait for her to gather her nerve as she leapt from the seat and flung the door open, flying out and tearing off down the hallway, wishing for her legs to carry her as far away from his office as she could go. As she ran down the hallway heading instinctively for the front doors, she ran smack into a mass of pale grayish blue robes and fell to the ground.

"My dear, the hour is very late, what are you doing dashing off into the night?" Eileen looked up through her tear-filled eyes into the wizened face of Dumbledore, an expression of wonder and surprise as he put his hand down to help her to her feet.

Fighting to compose herself, she muttered, "I...I just came from detention...with Professor Sn..." She couldn't seem to bring herself to say his name without choking up.

"Professor Snape?" Dumbledore finished her sentence and she nodded quickly, bowing her head and hiccuping, "It's unlike him to keep a student so late, do you know what time it is, Miss Pierce?"

She shook her head and sniffed, taking a swipe at her eyes with her sleeve.

Stooping gently, Dumbledore met her gaze and said with a look of concern, "Why are you crying, Eileen?"

"It's...it's not important, headmaster." She whispered, finding it difficult to break his gaze.

"If it has brought you such sadness I dare say it's important to you. I have yet to meet a person who cries for the fun of it. Would you tell me what's troubling you?"

She remained quiet for a moment, thinking it over in her head whether she felt she could trust Dumbledore, but one look into his eyes could tell her that anything she had to hide was safe with him.

"I...I'm afraid." She answered in a nearly inaudible tone.

"Of what, or who, I may ask?"

"I...I can't..." She began to choke up again and Dumbledore nodded, saying, "It's alright, Eileen, you do not have to tell me this minute, I can tell that you're quite shaken from a prior disagreement. Perhaps I can speak to Professor Snape on your behalf?"

"No!" She suddenly exclaimed, a look of utter horror in her eyes.

"No? Well, if you insist. But I would like to hear about what happened, if you would do me the honor of coming to my office after school tomorrow?"

"Your...office, sir?" She looked lost and he smiled, saying, "Yes, Professor McGonagall can guide you there, if you wish."

She nodded and Dumbledore rose to his full height again, saying, "Then it is a date, I look forward to hearing your story, Miss Pierce. Arrive whenever you wish to, I will be there all day. Now it is very late and I think you could do with a good night's sleep, off you go." He gently steered her back toward the stairs to the dungeon and bid her a farewell, continuing on his own way as she descended the stairs and returned to the dormitory for a restless night's sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Six

The following day Eileen woke even later than she had the previous morning, a sick feeling of utter exhaustion and slight nagging pain coursing through her body as she attempted to dress herself. She first put her robes on backward before Mephistopheles caught the hem of it, forcing her to look down and notice the odd look about them. This only hindered her longer and she tried to hurry to her first class: Charms. She managed to slip into the room unnoticed as there was quite a bit of chaos ensuing, books and other random objects flying around as they practiced summoning spells. She reached into her robes to retrieve her wand to join in practice but could not find it. Looking under and around her desk, she saw no sign of her wand anywhere and began to panic. Desperately, she tried to do the lesson without the wand but ended up knocking a neighboring student unconscious with a barrage spare textbooks, resigning to simply read the lesson over and wait for the bell to ring.

"Phelps, if you summon me one more time, I'll give you detention! I am not an object!" Flitwick exclaimed indignantly as he climbed off an ashamed looking boy with short-cropped blond hair. Just then, he noticed Eileen trying not to attract attention to herself, about to approach her and ask why she wasn't practicing with the others when a chair came flying out of nowhere and knocked him unconscious.

The class stopped their futile attempts and gathered around the lifeless teacher, one saying in a panicky voice, "Oh no, we killed him!"

"He's not dead, he's just unconscious, I think that chair hit him."

"AUGH, I killed the teacher!!!"

"He's not dead, he's breathing!"

"Someone poke him."

"I don't think he's waking up..."

"Does anyone know a revival spell?"

"Try _Rennervate_." Eileen suggested and everyone turned to her.

"Hey, you're that girl that beat Draco in the duel!"

"Dude, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen, and that last move you made..."

"Can you teach me how to fight like that?"

"Yeah, me too! Are you in the Dueling Club?"

"I wish I knew as many spells as you do, I could really use a better grade point average!"

"I believe we should focus our attention on the professor." Eileen commented, trying to change the subject.

"I killed hiiiiim!!!"

"Stop crying, he's not bloody well dead yet!"

"YET?"

"Good grief, would someone just use that regenerate spell already?"

"_Rennervate_." Eileen corrected.

"Yeah, that thing. Why don't you do it?"

"I, uh...perhaps it would be best if someone got Madam Pomfrey instead, it would not be wise to attempt healing a teacher in the 1st year." Eileen looked around the room and most of the gazes returned seemed sheepish and nervous, "Doesn't anyone know where the hospital is?"

"I was unconscious when I went there and Peeves chased me on the way out so I got lost." A mousy girl with curly hazel hair spoke up.

"I almost had to go two days ago but my sister managed to heal me." A shrimpy boy added his two cents.

"Does anyone remember the way?" Eileen asked curiously. When no one stepped forward, she responded, "I will go then, I believe I may recall the way. Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't turn any...odd colors."

As she made for the door, she her the crying girl shriek, "Odd colors? HE'S DEAD!!!"

"Merlin's beard, will you shut up!"

As Eileen pushed herself to sprint down the hallways and up stairs, she saw what seemed familiar to her. She pushed open a large oak door and peered into a room full of clean white beds awaiting occupants.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and at the sight of her, said, "Oh, it's you again, what is it this time?"

"It's not me, Professor Flitwick's been knocked unconscious and I fear he has a concussion. Can you please come and help him?"

"Goodness me, that man has more trouble than anyone I've known...alright, let me get my things and Ill be right with you." Pomfrey hurried around gathering a few potions before following Eileen out the door and back to the class. By now the bell had rung but most of his students were afraid of leaving him just lying there and resigned to sit around on the desks and talk.

Eileen watched Pomfrey bring Flitwick around before leaving and setting off to find her wand. She had little memory of the previous night as her mind was foggy with fatigue and hunger, stumbling a few times as her feet clumsily caught the hem of her robes. Returning to the dormitory, she searched her room and all around her bed and trunk without any luck.

"You haven't seen my wand, have you, Mephi?" Eileen asked desperately but the cat blinked dumbly at her, seeming amused by her own destruction of her belongings. With a heavy sigh, she heaved herself up from the floor and made for the door. Just as she set her foot on the stairs to make her way down to search the common room, they magically transformed into a slide. Falling hard, she went spiraling down the staircase until she collided with a body at the bottom and went sprawling across the floor. She pushed herself up to see whom she'd fallen on and restrained from gasping as she stared into the shocked gray eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"What the - you! You didn't have enough of me at the duel?" He shoved her off and clambered to his feet, straightening his robes with an indignant blush.

"Why were you trying to get into the girls' dorms?" Eileen asked curiously, finally realizing it was his presence on the stairs that had caused them to transform, not hers.

"Why aren't you in class? You think you're too good to study like the rest of us just cause you won a lousy duel?" Draco sneered, trying to hide the fact that he was caught red-handed.

"That's none of your business." She responded simply.

"Oh yeah? We'll see how much it's my business when Snape hears you've been skipping class! You'll be doing detention for the rest of your miserable life!" Draco spat at her and stormed off out of the common room, leaving Eileen blinking wistfully after him.

Suddenly, it occurred to her where her wand was: it was still locked safely inside Snape's desk as she hadn't bothered to retrieve it after detention. She had the feeling that if she forgot her wand, something bad must have happened between them, the feeling sinking slowly into her stomach and making her feel quite ill.

Getting to her feet, she made for the entrance and stepped through to go off in search of the professor. Regrettably, she realized she was late for Transfiguration and hurried off before she was any later. Entering as quietly as she could, she sank into a seat at the back of the class while the students practiced the days lesson. Just as she began to open her book to study away the time, a shadow fell over her and she looked up into the scowling face of McGonagall.

"You are late, Miss Pierce, I do not appreciate tardiness in my class. 10 points from Slytherin." McGonagall stated shrewdly. She looked at her a little more closely and asked, "You don't look well, have you been to see Madam Pomfrey today?"

"Yes, ma'am." Eileen replied truthfully, though her visit had nothing to do with her own physical state.

"Well, I think you'd do best to return to her again after class. Go ahead and practice the lesson with the rest of the class if it's not too boring for you." She said, sounding as if she was slightly affronted by her knowledge and lack of attention while she taught.

"I...can't." Eileen stared down at her book in shame.

"Why not?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

"I don't have my wand, ma'am."

"Is that my fault, Miss Pierce? You should have your wand with you at all times. I give you leave to go and retrieve it but I'm giving you extra homework for the disruption, go now." McGonagall waved her off, returning her attention to the rest of the class.

Eileen plopped the textbook back inside the bag, her arms shaking as she lifted it onto her shoulder as if she'd just dropped several lead bricks in after the book. She set off for Snape's office, hoping he wasn't in the middle of a class of his own as she knocked on the door. There came no response and she tried the knob; it wouldn't budge. She fell against the door, feeling put out by all this traveling between classes, the energy leaving her with every step she took. Slowly, she turned and ambled back toward Transfiguration class without a hope left in her of having a pleasant day.

The rest of her classes were just as bad and soon she had enough homework to last her several days, not bringing up her spirits in the slightest. She managed to eat some dinner before remembering at the last minute that Dumbledore had asked her to meet him in his office after school. Desperately trying to remember if he had told her where exactly it was, she made her way to Professor McGonagall before she had a chance to leave and got her attention.

"Yes, Miss Pierce?" McGonagall said exasperatedly.

"Could you please tell me where the headmaster's office is, I have a meeting with him." Eileen begged, feeling this was the right way to go about getting there.

McGonagall's expression softened and she said, "Why don't I take you there, you don't seem too good with remembering things today."

"Thank you, ma'am." Eileen sighed, following her out of the room and straight to Dumbledore's office.

"Every flavor beans." McGonagall said to the gargoyle before her and it moved aside, revealing a set of spiral stairs moving upward out of view. Waving her in, she left as Eileen ascended to a closed door and gave it a feeble knock.

"Enter." Came the voice of Dumbledore from the other side and she pushed the door open, stepping into the room nervously and freezing when she saw Snape standing from his seat in front of the head masters desk.

He crossed the room and stopped in front of her, quickly producing her wand and saying quietly, "You forgot this."

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought I lost it..." Eileen said in a grateful yet weak tone, stepping forward to take it and stumbling, falling awkwardly into Snape.

He grabbed her instinctively with a look of mixed horror and surprise, exclaiming, "Miss Pierce, what - "

"Dear me, I was worried this would happen." Dumbledore said as he rose from his chair and swept around the desk, "Bring her here, Severus."

Taking her limp body up in his arms, Snape carried her over to the headmaster, saying, "She hasn't eaten much since she came here, I've been watching her closely."

"Nor does it seem she's slept much, judging by the darkness around her eyes. What she needs right now is a nice long visit to Madam Pomfrey and a few doses of sleeping potion to revive her; some food wouldn't hurt either"

"Dumbledore, I think she's been starving herself as a way of self-induced punishment, it wouldn't be the first time she's taken matters into her own hands." Snape suggested.

"I doubt that's the case, Severus, it may be the stress she's had to endure as of late that caused it."

"Stress? What stress? Do you mean the Slytherins?"

"A Slytherin..." Dumbledore looked up into Snape's eyes and caught him off guard, which was a rare event indeed.

Looking away, Snape said, "I think we should get her to the hospital wing, Dumbledore."

"Indeed." With that, they made for the ever-reliable aid of Madam Pomfrey, who commented on seeing her earlier that day and knowing something was amiss.

"She didn't look well at all, I would have inquired further after reviving Flitwick but she had disappeared." Pomfrey commented, fluttering around and getting various potions to aid in bringing Eileen back to good health.

"What happened to dear Flitwick?" Dumbledore inquired upon hearing about the visit to his classroom.

"Oh, apparently one of the girls knocked him out with a chair. It wasn't terribly severe but I had to give the girl a calming potion just to keep her from hyperventilating. Miss Pierce here came running all the way up and back, it's shocking how many students don't know where the hospital wing is!"

"She's quite the hero." Dumbledore commented, glancing at Snape out of the corner of his eye. An unreadable expression of deep thought was masking Snape's feelings as he stared at Eileen, wordless yet obvious interest in the girl for one reason or another.

"How odd...she seems quite attached to that wand of hers, she didn't drop it despite fainting." Dumbledore noted curiously.

Sure enough, clutched tightly in her tiny hands was the very wand she had abandoned the night before.

"Signs of a true duelist, I suppose." Madam Pomfrey added, admiring the young girl's perseverance.

"I suppose." Snape said finally before turning to leave.

"Severus, try not to forget our discussion today." Dumbledore said over his shoulder to the retreating dusky storm.

Snape merely grunted before flying from the room, attempting a retreat before anymore could be said.

"Poppy, I leave her in your care." Dumbledore said before taking his leave.

"I'll have her back to normal in no time, Dumbledore." Pomfrey stated before making for her office.

"I'm afraid it will take more than potions and spells to bring her back to normal..." Dumbledore whispered before stepping into the hallway and letting the door close with a soft click.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Seven

_Where...am I? _Eileen's eyes fluttered open and she stared at the pure white ceiling, a feeling of complete confusion filling her. The last thing she remembered doing was walking up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office and knocking on his door. Everything seemed to blur after that, flashes of Snape's face with a great look of concern and alarm written all over it, then it went dark. Had she passed out? It was obvious she hadn't gotten where she was on her own, not with how she felt lately. She was amazed that she even made it to Dumbledore's office in the first place, or had she? It could have all been her hopes not to disappoint him too but she would just have to see him later that day to make up for it. Sitting up slowly and groggily, she took the room in for a few moments before realizing she was in the hospital wing again. She had fainted after all.

"Miss Pierce, you lay back down this instant!" The bustling robes of Madam Pomfrey filtered through the air and before she could speak the force of very gentle yet firm hands pushed her back onto the bed.

Glancing in the direction of the voice, she blinked up into the concerned eyes of Pomfrey, looking quite put out and flushed.

"Madam...Pomfrey?" Eileen whispered airily, trying to blink the haze out of her eyes so she could see more clearly.

"You're lucky they brought you to me when they did, you were in a bad way! But I've given you enough sleeping potion to give your body the rest it needed, now eat this, dear." Pomfrey handed her a sandwich full of some sort of salad type filling before hurrying off to rattle around elsewhere in the room.

Taking a small bite of the mystery sandwich, a contented feeling filled her body and she began to consume it at a faster rate. Within minutes, she had finished the sandwich and felt quite full, a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. Feeling livelier, Eileen looked around and said, "Madam Pomfrey? Who brought me here?"

"Oh, the headmaster and Severus, they didn't give specifics of where they found you but I wasn't concerned with that."

"Severus? Who's Severus?" Eileen suddenly had a craving for another sandwich. Pomfrey appeared around the curtain surrounding her bed with a plate of sandwiches, handing one to her before saying, "Severus Snape, dear, the potions teacher."

"His first name's Severus? What a lovely name..." Eileen mused, quickly working on finishing her second sandwich.

Pomfrey watched her ravenous behavior and said, "How long has it been since you've eaten?"

"I eat everyday unless I need to hurry, why?"

"How much do you eat?"

"A couple rolls and a piece of meat, that's all I require to sustain me until the next meal."

"Goodness me, who told you that!" Pomfrey looked aghast.

"My father..." She looked sadly and distantly into her lap, seeming to forget everything else as she lapsed into memories from her past.

Frowning, Pomfrey said, "Well, you should take it easy, your body is most likely not used to so much food at one time and you're liable to become sick. I'll give you more later but rest now."

"Madam? How long have I been here?" Eileen came out of her trance, looking up at her as she walked around the curtain and out of view.

"3 days, you were extremely weak when I got you and I needed to make sure you recovered fully before releasing you."

"3 days? Oh no!" Eileen suddenly remembered all the homework she hadn't done or even begun to work on.

"Don't worry, Severus has explained to your teachers what has happened to you. Also, Minerva says you don't have to worry about the homework she gave you, after she found out that Severus had your wand the whole time she understood. She's quite a nice witch, you should thank her later."

"Severus - I mean, Professor Snape? He...he did that for me?"

"I think he felt partially responsible for your illness, having you up so late every night for the past month doing Merlin knows what for detention? It was rather careless of him but I think he's trying to make up for it now by taking care of your classes."

"He...cares?" Eileen whispered, her eyes staring distantly at the curtain, a strange feeling sinking into her stomach now and wrenching at her heart. Could this be...

"My dear! What is the matter?" Madam Pomfrey popped around the curtain with a fresh bottle of sleeping potion and found tears rolling silently down Eileen's face.

Gasping, she touched her damp cheek and said softly, "I...I don't know...my...my heart hurts, Madam Pomfrey. I don't think the sandwiches agreed with me..."

Pomfrey's look of concern melted into one of sympathy and tenderness as she gingerly wiped the tears from Eileen's face, saying, "I doubt the sandwiches had anything to do with it, dear."

"Oi, Madam Pomfrey! Is Eileen still here?" Pomfrey turned and seemed surprised to see Ron peeking in the hospital door.

"Y-yes, she's right here. Do you have a message for her?"

"No, we just thought wed see how she was doing."

"We?" Pomfrey watched as Ron stepped into the room, closely followed by Harry and Hermione. With a thankful smile, Pomfrey said, "Oh, you three...alright, you may see her but only for a moment, she needs her rest." Leaving the children to talk in private, Eileen soon found herself in their company and looked quite surprised at the sight of them.

"Hey, Eileen, how are you feeling?" Hermione said, a kind smile on her face as she settled next to her bed, putting a small nosegay onto the bedside desk.

"I...I don't know. Are those for me?" She looked at the flowers with great interest; she'd never seen something so beautiful.

"Of course! We thought you'd need something to cheer you up, you don't seem to be having a good time at school." Hermione explained, nudging Harry in the side.

"Yeah, Malfoy's like that with anyone that shows him up, just ignore him." Harry said, thinking it was at least something to say.  
Eileen picked up the nosegay and sniffed it happily, saying with a great smile, "Thank you."

"Eh, it's nothing..." Ron scratched his head and looked away.

"No one's ever given me a present before" Eileen continued to enjoy the delicate scent of the wildflowers while they looked surprised.

"What do you mean? You've never gotten stuff for Christmas or your birthday?" Ron seemed completely disturbed by this notion as if it wasn't possible.

"What's Christmas?" Eileen asked curiously, looking up at them.

"Blimey, you're joking, right? It's Christmas!" Ron waved has hands wildly, smacking Harry who poked him in return.

"Christmas is a holiday we celebrate on December 25th, you decorate your house with garland and a great big tree with lots of lights and tinsel. And you exchange gifts with your friends and family." Hermione explained with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Yeah, if you stay at Hogwarts for Christmas its really fun cause they decorate the whole place. The great halls full of Christmas trees covered in faeries that light up the whole thing, you should see it." Harry added with a smile.

Eileen's eyes sparkled too and she said joyfully, "I would love to see it, it sounds grand!"

"Most of the students go home for the holidays but I'll be staying, my relatives don't want me back and I'd rather be here." Harry said honestly.

"I don't have family to go home to so I will stay as well." Eileen said with a soft smile.

"Really? Your parents...are they dead too?" Harry seemed quite interested in her all of a sudden.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, obviously thinking this wasn't something to be asking someone in a casual conversation.

"My mother is but my father's still out there...somewhere." The joy seemed to be sucked right out of her and she looked down into her lap where the nosegay rested in her hands.

"I'm sorry...do you miss him?" Harry asked, ignoring Hermione's looks of disapproval.

"No...I don't think so..." She responded truthfully. She wasn't really sure how she felt about her father but thinking too much about it hurt so she tried to put it out of her mind whenever possible.

"Well, you've had long enough to visit, she needs to rest so...off you go." Madam Pomfrey swept around the curtain and shooed her visitors away, taking Eileen's nosegay and conjuring a tiny vase to place them in.

"We'll see you later, Eileen!" Hermione called as they left.

"Goodbye." She responded, not sure if they heard.

Pomfrey removed the cork from the sleeping potion as she said, "That was nice of them, they're good kids."

"Yes...they are nice." Eileen said softly, laying back against her pillow and taking the potion without any fuss. The room faded away and it didn't feel like long before she heard voices drifting through the fog over her mind. She tried to swim through it, to get close enough to hear what was being said.

"She's coming along nicely, she should be ready to return to school tomorrow." It was Madam Pomfrey, she was sure, but who was she talking to?

"The headmaster would like to see her when she's well enough to." A man's voice, smooth and deep like the sleep she was fighting to be free of.

"I'll tell her when she wakes, thank you, Severus."

"Master?" Eileen whispered, but she wasn't sure if the words came out of her mouth or her thoughts.

"Did you hear something?"

"I think she's waking up. Miss Pierce, can you hear me?" The fog slowly lifted in her mind and she opened her eyes, staring at the blurry forms looming over her.

"M...Madam..." Eileen whispered, blinking the figures into focus. One of them moved out of her view and she heard it say, "I must get back, I have a class to teach soon."

"Very well, good day, professor."

"S-sir...wait..." Eileen struggled to sit up.

"He's gone, dear, just relax."

"Professor..." Eileen sighed after him, laying back and feeling sadness lull over her. She wanted to thank him for everything he'd done for her but she got the idea that he didn't want to be thanked, as quickly as he'd left when she spoke.

"I'm sorry, dear, I'm sure you can speak to him tomorrow. Did you hear his message?" Pomfrey seemed to read her feelings and was petting her hair sympathetically.

"Yes, Dumbledore wishes to see me again." Eileen said, closing her eyes.

"Very good. Do you feel well enough to eat something?"

"No, but I must." Eileen responded, sounding sadder than usual. The pain in her chest had returned upon seeing Snape leave. What was this feeling she had? She didn't understand and it confused her greatly as she ripped into the sandwich with a fury that startled Pomfrey.

"Slow down, dear, the sandwich isn't going anywhere!" Pomfrey said, watching her swallow a large chunk of it.

She stopped and let her hands fall into her lap, looking down at her food and saying, "Ma'am, my chest hurts again..."

"Does it? Well, I don't think there's much I can do to ease your pain, dear."

"I thought you were a healer." Eileen sounded disgruntled, she wasn't used to being unable to do something or solve something right away.

"I am, dear, but heartache isn't one of my specialties. I'm afraid that's something you have to solve on your own..."

"Heartache? What is that?" Eileen looked up curiously, finding Pomfrey's expression of sincere sympathy somewhat comforting.

"It's hard to explain, it's different for each person. Most often people associate heartache with the loss of a loved one, you fill with an overwhelming sorrow that many people don't understand...or understand when its too late to do anything about it." Pomfrey explained, stroking a few strands of hair out of Eileen's face tenderly.

"Like when my mother died?" She asked and Pomfrey nodded. Frowning, she said, "But...why do I feel that way around Professor Snape?"

"I'm not sure, dear, has something happened between you two?"

"I...I don't know, I can't remember..." Eileen looked close to tears as she said, "Why does he hate me so much? I tried to do what he said but it seems like no matter what I do, he's angry with me. What did I do wrong?"

"Oh, Eileen..."

Unable to stop the tears, Eileen began to sob and Pomfrey pulled her into her arms, hugging her gently and rocking ever so slightly.

"I just wanted to make him happy! But everything I do...he...he..." Eileen sobbed, the pain too powerful for her to go on.

"Shh, it's all right, don't blame yourself. The professor is just...he's like that with everyone, it's nothing personal toward you, dear. He's...had a hard life, that's all." They sat in silence, Pomfrey stroking her hair and singing softly to calm her lament. It almost seemed like she would never stop but slowly, her sobs turned to sniffs and before long she was asleep again, cradled safely in the arms of her caregiver.

When she was sure she was in a deep sleep, Pomfrey laid her back against the pillow and brought the sheets back over her frail body, sweeping her hair back as she whispered, "Stay strong, little one...he will understand someday." With that, she drew the curtain and returned to her office, letting Eileen dream away the hours until she was ready to be released the next day.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Eight

"Be sure to eat enough to fill you up at meal times, and get plenty of sleep! If you ever feel unwell again, you come straight to me, understand?" Pomfrey gave her final doctors orders to Eileen before she was released.

"Yes, Ma'am." Eileen responded quietly.

Pausing to give her a motherly look, Pomfrey pulled her into a hug and said, "And don't worry, everything will work out, dear. No more crying, you hear me?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Call me Poppy, dear, no need for formalities anymore."

"Okay..." Eileen found herself smiling up at Pomfrey as she beamed down at her.

"I believe the headmaster is waiting for you, off you go!"

Eileen walked to the door, opening it before turning and saying, "Thank you...Poppy." With one last smile, she set off for Dumbledore's office.

On her way to her long overdue meeting, she realized she was wearing the same robes she had on before her hospitalization and set out to change before her meeting. Trotting happily down the steps into the dungeon, she faced the crack in the wall and tried the last password she knew. The wall did not open, instead it sent a shock through her body and she stumbled backward into the opposite wall with a look of surprise.

"Oh no...what's the new password?" She began to panic, thinking of words that would be associated with the Slytherins and trying a few.

"Pureblood?" It shocked her.

"Snakeskin?" It shocked her again.

"Muggle haters?" Once more she was shocked.

"If you needed electroshock therapy, all you had to do was ask." She turned and saw the smug face of Draco Malfoy as he swaggered up to her, hands in his pockets, looking quite amused by her failure.

"I don't know the password, could you open the door?" Eileen said, trying not to let him get the best of her.

"Oh, and I thought you were having fun. Rumor has it you like to torture yourself, I wouldn't want to interrupt." He smirked.

"I don't, now open the door." She demanded.

"You sure are a rude little ghost, you know that? No wonder Snape doesn't like you, he probably loathes having to spend time with you every evening cause you just can't seem to follow the rules."

"Shut up." She hissed, feeling her heart begin to pound at the mention of Snape.

"Touched a nerve, have I?" Draco's smirk broadened as he watched her closely.

"Open the door." She said this slowly and precisely, her fingers itching to draw the wand concealed in her robes.

"What if I don't? You gonna go running to Snape? 'Oh, Master, Draco's being a meanie, waaaaaah'." Draco mocked her, pretending to cry.

"Stop it." She muttered.

"What are you gonna do, curse me or something? I bet you'd love that, then you can get more detention with Snape."

"Open the door!" Eileen shouted, growing furious to the point of nearly reaching for her wand.

"Do you like him? How horrible, you realize he'll never like you back, not some half-blooded twit that can't even keep from passing out." Draco laughed.

"I believe she asked you to open the door, Draco." Turning sharply, Draco came face-to-face with the cold stare of Severus Snape.

He turned pale as he stuttered, "I, uh, we...um...it's not...we were just, you see...that is...GARGOYLE!" The wall opened and he ran inside, making for the boys' dormitory before Snape could do anything to him.

Eileen's heart was beating wildly now as she stared at Snape who was glaring after Draco's retreating form.

He was only a couple feet away, she could have swore he could hear her heart pounding as he said, "Dumbledore sent me to ask you to meet him at 7:45 tonight. That is in half an hour, do not be late."

He turned to go when Eileen shouted, "Sir!"

"What?" He stopped but did not face her; his eyesight fixed on the end of the hall.

"I...wanted to..." She paused, not sure if she should say it.

"Please say what you want to say, I have things to do." He interjected sharply.

With a feeling of falling into a deep chasm, she said, "I wanted to ask you about my detention, Dumbledore's meeting is at the same time, shall I come to your office afterward?"

"No, your detention is suspended until further offenses are made."

"Suspended? Why, sir?" She looked at his back in surprise.

"Do not argue."

"But - "

"I said do not argue!" Snape had taken off again at a quicker pace, obviously not wishing to spend anymore time talking to her. With a flurry of robes, he disappeared around the corner of the corridor, leaving her feeling taken back by this new information.

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and headed into the common room and up to the girls' dorms. Upon entering her room, she was hit by a ball of fur and nearly knocked off balance.

"Mephi! Oh no, I haven't fed you for days! I'm so sorry, I still don't have anything!" She pried the cat off her robes and set him on the bed where he stared at her with a happy expression, his tail whipping around contently. Quickly, she got changed and ran to the door before stopping and calling over her shoulder, "Come, Mephi, I can take you to the great hall before my meeting! I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't mind you being there, he seems like a nice person."

The kneazle didn't hesitate to bound across the room and jump onto her shoulder where he held on for dear life as she tore down the stairs and out of the dorm. She hurried into the great hall just minutes before dinner was finished, grabbing up a handful of ham and running back out of the room before anyone could notice her. She ran all the way to the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office and stopped, wondering if the password used for this doorway had changed like that of the Slytherin dorms.

"Every Flavor Beans?" It did not move. Feeling quite like she was going to let him down if she didn't figure out how to get inside, she began shouting other random treats she knew of.

"Chocolate Frogs." Nothing.

"Fizzing Whizbees?" Still nothing.

"Canary Cream? Ice Mice? Sugar Quills? Chocoballs? Jelly Slugs? Acid Pops?" None of these would open the doorway and she let out an exasperated sigh.

Mephistopheles purred as he stared hungrily at the meat still in her hand.

"Oh, sorry, Mephi, here." She gave him a piece and he leapt down to the floor where he consumed it quickly. Tossing another piece down to him, she pondered any other possible passwords he could have used.

"Cauldron Cakes? Treacle Tart? Éclairs? Sherbet Lemons?" Suddenly, the gargoyle leapt aside to Eileen's great pleasure. She ran up the stairs as they wound up to Dumbledore's door, Mephistopheles quickly following suit. With a gentle knock and welcome, Eileen stepped into the office at last.

"Sorry I'm late, sir, I didn't know your password so I had to keep guessing." Eileen confessed as she crossed the room to the chair in front of his desk.

"Quite alright, you're a bright girl, Eileen. Ah, and this must be the notorious Mephistopheles. A fine looking kneazle, if I do say so, hard to keep as pets." Dumbledore watched the kneazle follow his mistress to the chair where he jumped into her lap once she was settled, taking the rest of the meat from her hand.

"He's more a friend than a pet. I haven't fed him since...since I last met with you. He was very hungry and I was only just released, I hope you don't mind me bringing him along." Eileen said, looking sheepishly up at the kind-faced headmaster.

"Understandable and quite alright, are you feeling better?" Dumbledore asked, watching Mephistopheles clean himself.

"I'm quite well, thank you, I've never felt better!" Eileen said cheerfully.

"Excellent. I'm sure you recall the original reasoning for our meeting?"

"No, sir, I don't recall much about that night." She admitted, slowly stroking the cat as it purred contently.

"I see, perhaps a little refresher is in accord. We ran into each other in the hallway as you returned from your detention with Professor Snape. You were rather distraught so I had asked you what was wrong but at the time you were unable to tell me, I assumed it had something to do with the professor but you asked me not to speak to him about it."

"But...but he was in this office when I arrived, I remember seeing him before blacking out." Eileen's heart raced, had Dumbledore betrayed her trust?

"That was a different matter, we did not discuss you and he still is unaware of my knowledge on the subject."

"If he doesn't know then...then why has he been avoiding me ever since?" She was now confused and eagerly wanted answers.

"That, my dear, is why you are here. You mentioned that you were afraid of something, could you elaborate for me?" Dumbledore asked, folding his fingers beneath his chin as he watched her intently.

She felt her body become rigid, a reflex she was quite used to by now having been asked this type of question many times by Snape. Trying to gather her nerve and finding it difficult, she stared into Dumbledore's eyes and something told her it was going to be okay. With a deep breath, she said, "My father, he...he's looking for me."

"Dear me, you didn't run away from home, did you?"

"No, I don't live with him."

"Then why is he looking for you?"

"Well...you see..." Feeling her stomach knotting, she swallowed hard and said, "When my mother died a year ago, I had no family to take me in and he was my only living relative. But mother made me promise never to let him near me, but to run away and find a place to live on my own."

"So for an entire year, you have lived by yourself? Why was your mother so opposed to your father taking you in?"

"He...well, you see...he wasn't a very nice man." She bowed her head, hugging Mephistopheles to herself.

"In what way?"

"Well, my parents, they...they fought a lot." Eileen began looking around the room anxiously.

"I see..." Dumbledore seemed to muse on this for a while before saying, "Did he ever hurt you or your mother?"

"W-why would you ask that?" She suddenly looked nervously at him.

"Just wondering..." He said, not speaking for the longest time.

Eileen shifted uneasily in her seat and said, "Headmaster, I don't see how any of this is relevant to my detention with Snape."

"My dear, it has everything to do with it. Does professor Snape know about your past?"

"N-no, I haven't told him much, I think he thinks I'm hiding something dangerous but I just don't want him to know."

"Why is that, Eileen? Are you afraid he won't understand?"

"No..."

"Then perhaps you should tell him, you might find he understands more than you'd think."

"I...I couldn't!" She stammered, looking like she was going to go into a panic attack.

"Alright, that is your choice." They both fell silent for a while before Eileen said, "I still don't understand why professor Snape's been avoiding me, sir."

"Ah yes, well, that might have something to do with your last detention. Can you remember what happened?"

"No, not really. I'd ask him but I somehow think he won't want to tell me."

"No, I don't suppose he would. So you don't remember anything? No flashes or vague recollections?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

"Hmm..." Dumbledore began to muse again and Eileen said, "Sir, I do remember when I came up to see you. I had fallen and when I looked up, professor Snape looked...well, he looked upset. Does he hate me, headmaster?"

"Hate you? Dear me, no...I daresay he hates himself more than anything."

"What? Why would he hate himself? It's not my fault, is it?" Eileen was on the edge of her seat; Mephistopheles looking perturbed by her abrupt movement.

"I think it has something to do with that very night, something said or done..."

"So that's why he's been doing so much for me during my illness, he's trying to make up for it." She sunk back into the chair, looking sadly down at her cat and whispering, "He was just doing it cause he felt obligated to."

"Do you think so?"

"What other explanation is there?"

"There's a whole host of theories and possibilities, only questions and determination can find the one and only answer."

"So...are you saying that I should...ask him?"

"You should do as you see would be the right thing to do, Eileen. If you feel that approaching him about that night is the right way to find the answers then by all means do it. I only warn you that you may not get the answers you want, do not feel rejected. He is quite a tough cookie to crack but I think you may be able to manage it."

"Why do you think that, sir?"

"Intuition, and a little bit of faith. Faith is always a nice thing to have when all else fails, don't you agree?"

"I suppose..." She pondered how she might go about asking Snape about that night when Dumbledore stood, saying, "Well, time has gotten away from us, I'm afraid. It would be best for you to return to your dorm and get a good night's sleep."

"Thank you, headmaster." Eileen said as she stood, herding her kneazle up onto her shoulder where he peered at Dumbledore from around her hair.

"There's no need to thank me, Eileen, I am merely doing my job."

"Then thank you for doing your job, have a restful night, sir." She bowed and made for the door.

"Sweet and adventurous dreams, Miss Pierce." Dumbledore whispered as she disappeared out the door. Waiting until he was sure she was well out of earshot, Dumbledore turned toward an ajar door leading to a storeroom and said, "Did you hear everything?"

"Yes." Came a disgruntled voice from inside the room.

"Is what she said true then? Do you hate her?" Snape stepped out, his head bowed as he looked in Dumbledore's general direction.

"I neither hate her nor care for her." Snape responded simply yet quietly as if he was still thinking about the conversation.

"Is that so...so you feel nothing at all?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes, Dumbledore."

"I see...so you won't mind speaking to her then?"

"For what reason." Snape glared at him defiantly.

"She's worried that she's done something to make you mad, I would assume this might affect her schoolwork and as bright as she is, that would be a feat. She cares a lot about what you think, perhaps giving her some reassurance that nothing terrible went on would ease her mind."

"Is that an order, sir?"

"No, just a suggestion, I trust you to make the right decision, Severus."

"May I go?"

"Yes, of course, I just wanted to give Miss Pierce a head start, I had the feeling it would take her longer than normal to return to her room tonight."

"Why do you say that?"

"She's a bit depressed about you hating her, I thought she made that rather obvious."

Snape did not respond, instead, he walked toward the door and opened it. Pausing, he said, "I don't hate her..."

"You can't, can you? Not when she reminds you of her..." Dumbledore whispered as Snape disappeared down the stairs, the door slowly closing behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Nine

It had been several weeks since Eileen met with Dumbledore and life seemed to have sped up considerably. She was doing double the homework of any normal 1st year - most of it was due to the fact that she wasn't challenged enough and wanted to at least keep busy, but most of all she hadn't spoken with Snape at all. She remained quiet in class and did the lessons and pretended to read the books, even though she had them memorized long ago. She was quite under the impression that they would never speak to each other again and for some reason, this made her sad. She couldn't fathom her connection to him and this was the most sought after knowledge plaguing her mind, school seemed old hat compared to finding out what this feeling was all about and why it seemed to hurt so much. The prospect of intentionally not thinking about him seemed to work in her mind but the facts still stood: she had to see him during class, hear him speak, watch him scold students for their sloppy work, smell the aroma of a man who spent most of his time in a dark dungeon. No matter what she did, she could not avoid the inevitable act of asking the question that weighed most heavily on her mind: What happened that night in his office.

She was just heading back to the dorms from her last class when she saw Ron and Harry dashing off toward the doors outside. Wondering where they were going with a broom, her curiosity overwhelmed her and she followed them across the field to a grand stadium set up just off the main castle. There, she climbed up into one of the viewing platforms and watched as Harry flew up into the air to join a group of students, all riding similar looking brooms. She'd never seen such a thing before and watched intently as they practiced moves and played with flying balls that zoomed around after them. Watching closely, she noticed two blurs that had red hair and wondered if they were relatives of Ron's.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Ron appeared behind her, bringing her out of her trance as he walked down the front aisle to sit next to her.

"I followed you and Harry out here, I thought it was odd that you were carrying a broom with you." Eileen blinked curiously at him as the wind blew gently past them, brushing her shimmering white hair away from her shoulders.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a broomstick or heard of Quidditch either!" Ron exclaimed, Looking utterly disturbed by her lack of common knowledge.

"Quidditch?" She looked more lost than ever and Ron's eyes widened.

"Blimey, are you serious? Quidditch is THE best wizarding sport out there!" Ron explained flamboyantly.

"I see...I never played or watched sports so I don't have any idea what it is, the only thing I did before Hogwarts was read books and practice magic." Eileen mused, watching the team run over formations and strategies.

"Woah, you need to get out more..." Ron shook his head, "Surely you read about it in a book or something!"

"I only had access to textbooks used at Hogwarts, the ones my mother owned. She did a lot of classes so I had plenty to work with." Eileen smiled.

"So, uh...exactly how far ahead of everyone else are you?" Ron asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I could pass my N.E.W.T. exams now if I wanted to, but I doubt they'd let me." She said casually, quite transfixed on the twins as they skillfully beat the flying balls away from other players.

Ron almost fell off his seat as he stuttered, "N-no way! Are you bloody serious?"

"I try not to mention this as it seems to stir up hostility toward me in other students but yes, I am very serious." She seemed to smile now out of irony.

"Wow...you and Hermione would get along great." Ron shook his head in disbelief, "She's always way ahead of everyone else in school, it's like she just eats the books whole and spews the information on command! But wait, your parents let you practice magic? That's illegal!"

"I've heard that a lot lately. My mother always taught me when father wasn't around, she said I needed to know how to protect and defend myself in case anything should happen and I was on my own."

"Your mum sounds paranoid, if you ask me. I guess your dad didn't agree then if she taught you behind his back."

"He didn't think I needed to know any of this, apparently all I needed to know was how to keep house and have babies." Eileen shrugged.

"Did he know you were a witch?" Ron seemed amazed that anyone could be that thick.

"That didn't change anything, he thought my mother should do the same." Eileen looked down into her lap at her hands, they were trembling. She quickly clutched at her skirt and Ron said, "Was he a Muggle?"

"Muggle? What's that?" Eileen looked up, not sure if he was insulting her father or not.

"Oh wow, you really have a lot to learn." Ron leaned back in his seat like he thought it was going to take a while, "Muggle is what we call non-magic people, or basically everyone else in the world that has no clue about us wizards and witches and have no magic abilities. But there are some people who are born into magic families who can't do magic either, they're called Squibs."

"I see, then I suppose my father was a Muggle, he definitely couldn't do magic." Eileen sighed, turning to Ron and saying, "You're very smart, Ron, I wish I knew everything you did about the magical world."

Ron blushed as he scratched the back of his head, saying, "Well, I wouldn't say I was that smart..."

"Of course you are! There are some things that you can't learn from books, you have knowledge that I was never able to learn, I envy you."

"Really? Say, uh...have you ever flown on a broomstick?" Ron jumped up with a broad grin as it looked like practice was coming to an end.

"Of course not, I wasn't even aware of them until now."

"Right...you wanna have a go at it?" Ron motioned with his thumb at the players.

Eileen looked up at him in awe, saying softly, "Can I?"

"Sure, let's go ask Harry if he'd let you try." Ron smiled and they made their way down to the field just as the team landed.

Harry came over to Ron when he saw that Eileen was with him and said, "Hey, Eileen!"

"Hello, Harry." Eileen responded courteously.

"Hey, you think Eileen can try flying? She's never ridden a broom before." Ron said as the rest of the team started to leave.

"I don't think my Nimbus 2000 would be the best thing for a test flight, why not ask Fred or George if they'd let her?" Harry pointed out, watching as Eileen looked his broomstick over curiously.

"Good idea. Oi, Fred! George!" Ron shouted to his brothers and they came over, saying in unison, "What?"

"Would either of you let Eileen take a test flight on your broomsticks?"

"She can ride my broomstick whenever she likes." George winked as he held it out to her.

"You make it sound so naughty, George." Fred nudged his brother in the side as Eileen ran her hands over the handle.

Looking thoroughly disgusted with his siblings, Ron turned to Eileen and said, "First you have to make sure it will listen to you. Put it on the ground and put your hand over it and call it up."

Eileen did so and it came after a few tries.

"Not bad! Now straddle the handle and kick off from the ground, make sure you hold on or you'll slide off." Fred instructed her.

She boarded it as told and kicked off, flying high up into the air with a look of bewilderment in her eyes.

"Yeah, it looks like you've got the hang of - " But before proper praise could be given, she was spiraling off toward the ground with a squeal.

"Pull up!" Harry shouted.

She leaned back, pulling with all her might until finally it leveled out and she barely missed the stands.

"Blimey, I think she should stick to her books." Ron concluded after watching her nearly miss the goal posts and go soaring high into the air before dropping again.

But after all her near death experiences, she seemed positively ecstatic that she hadn't crashed. They let her circle the field a few more times before calling her back to the ground. She had just rounded to make an attempt at landing when she spotted a dark figure standing just inside the entrance to the field watching her intently.

"Severus?" She gasped in surprise, leaning too far to the side and slipping off the handle. The boys shouted wildly as she dangled from the broomstick, horror filling her as she felt her grip quickly loosening before finally, she fell. Her body fluttered briefly in the wind before some force stopped her rapid descent, easing her slowly down to the ground. The boys came running to her, frantically calling out asking if she was okay but she just lay still, staring blankly up at the sky she had fallen from.

George fell to his knees beside her and said, "Eileen, say something!"

"Wow." She blinked, looking over at George's expression of horror, "Can I do that again?"

"I don't believe her..." Ron looked like he was close to fainting as the twins laughed and helped her to her feet.

"I suggest flying a little closer to the ground next time you give it a go." Fred chuckled as George set out to retrieve his broomstick that was floating slowly to the ground by itself.

She brushed her robes off and looked over her shoulder at where the dark figure had been standing but the entrance was empty.

"Well, let's head back inside, dinners starting soon." George said as he walked over to them with his broom over his shoulder.

Together they trudged across the field to the castle and deposited their things in the dorm before heading over to the great hall. They spotted Eileen sitting by herself on the end of the Slytherin table and Fred called out, "Oi, Eileen! Come sit with us, well give you some tips about flying!"

A sparkle filled her eyes as she leapt up and ran to join them at the Gryffindor table, sitting between the twins and absorbing everything they told her about Quidditch and riding broomsticks. Eileen didn't even notice that Snape wasn't at dinner, in fact, she didn't notice much else aside from her new friends and she rather liked it that way.

The group of students said their good-byes to Eileen at the top of the stairs to the dungeon as they made their ways back to the dorms for the night. Suddenly feeling able to do anything, Eileen strode happily through the dark corridors to the entrance to the Slytherin dormitory, speaking the password and stepping inside. Upon her arrival, a young-looking boy jumped out of a chair and ran over to her, looking like he didn't really want to speak to her but had been ordered to.

"Professor Snape says you have detention with him in his office tonight and should go there immediately." The boy said dully.

"What? I don't believe you, he would have told me himself." Eileen glared at him and he frowned, saying, "Hey, I didn't want to do this, he forced me to!"

"If you're lying to me, you better not be here when I get back." She threatened the boy and he looked terrified, running for the boys' dorms. Turning sharply, she trudged back out of the common room and up the stairs, she figured since she still had a few minutes until curfew that if it was a lie she could easily get back in time if she ran. Coming to a stop in front of his office door, she knocked and heard him respond and swallowed nervously. Opening the door, she cautiously peeked in and said, "I was told I have detention."

"Come in and sit down." Snape said, not busy with anything like he usually was. Instead, he was leaning against the desk with his fingers laced together under his nose, staring sharply at her. She eased inside and shut the door, looking defiantly back at him as she said softly, "Why am I being punished?"

"Sit down, Miss Pierce." Snape repeated in the same calm tone as before.

"I want to know what I did wrong, sir." She refused to move.

"You're not being punished, now sit." He finally replied and she looked surprised.

"But that boy said I had detention."

"Would you have come if I simply wished to have a meeting with you?"

"Yes..." She looked away and Snape cocked an eyebrow.

"Then I would like to discuss something, will you sit now?"

She looked resentfully at the chair she had been forced to sit in so many times before, not wishing to ever be near it again but resigning to take a seat, if only to find out what Snape had to say.

Once she was settled, Snape seemed to collect his thoughts before asking, "You haven't spoken in class since you returned from the hospital wing, I want to know why."

"I didn't want to sound like a know-it-all." She answered simply.

"The occasional participation doesn't make you all knowing, Miss Pierce."

Snape still had the same tone to his voice and it unnerved her for some reason. It reminded her of when he had tried to drill her for information before, except...there was something she couldn't remember.

"But you don't like people who are exceedingly intelligent. It's not like I can help it but I didn't want to make you cross so I stayed quiet." She looked him in the eye and he frowned.

"You seem to think you know everything about me and how I feel about things, Miss Pierce, but you're sadly mistaken. No one knows me and neither do you so don't assume you're special or enlightened as to my feelings."

"That's a pity." Eileen looked down at the desk blankly and Snape raised his eyebrows, asking, "Why?"

"If you die, no one will be able to remember you for anything but the man you are now, or at least the man you appear to be."

"Are you suggesting I'm hiding something?"

"Everyone is hiding something, sir. Secret ambitions, embarrassing habits, humiliating incidents...there's always something we strive to keep to ourselves."

"Like yourself for example?"

She looked up at him and his eyes weren't reading her as thoroughly as before when he'd asked her this, something had changed. Frowning, she said, "You know."

"Know what?" He kept his poker face in position but she wasn't convinced.

"Somehow...you know what I've been hiding, I can tell." She said softly, her own eyes burrowing into the darkness of his soul.

"And where did you get that idea?"

"It's in your eyes, I remember...you were searching for hints and answers before but now...they'.re confident in their hidden knowledge. When did Dumbledore relay the information to you? After Id left, no doubt." She suddenly had a feeling of betrayal, she thought Dumbledore was trustworthy but somehow Snape had found out and she resolved never to speak of her past with him again.

"He never told me anything about you." Snape said honestly, allowing his eyes to express this for her to understand.

"But then..how do you know? I...I didn't say anything that night, did I?" The horror washed over her, had she actually told him herself? How could such a small thing as exhaustion break her will so easily?

"You said enough."

"What did I say?"

"That is not impo-"

"What did I say!" Eileen shouted, leaning forward in her seat.

Snape narrowed his eyes as he said, "Do not raise your voice to me or I will give you detention."

"I don't care! Something happened that night and I want to know what!" Eileen glared at him, a feeling of vulnerability sinking in like the rush of the tide.

"You were there." There was no hint of sympathy in his voice and this made Eileen feel even smaller.

"I don't...I don't remember! Please...please just tell me what I said, sir..."

"I don't remember."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Eileen screamed, beginning to cry out of frustration. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed, saying, "Don't...don't lie to me, sir...please..." The room fell silent, allowing Eileen's soft weeping to fill in the void that was left behind.

Sighing, he said quietly, "You said 'Please, daddy, I didn't mean to speak out of turn, don't hurt me'." Snape said quietly, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands in his lap.

Eileen gasped, looking up at him and clasping her hands to her mouth as she gazed on in horror. Her heart was racing as everything flooded back to her with those words, Snape interrogating her, grabbing her roughly, raising his hand...

"You...you were going to hit me." She whispered, feeling that stabbing in her heart again as the tears fell hot on her cheeks.

"No." Snape said in a slightly softer tone.

"Yes...you...you raised your hand, you were angry...you're just like him, I haven't escaped at all!" She suddenly leapt from her chair and made for the door but Snape waved his wand at the door and it locked itself automatically.

"_Alohomora_! _Alohomora_! _ALOHOMORA_!" Eileen shouted, jabbing her wand at the doorknob as she cried harder and harder.

"Eileen, listen to me - " Snape had stood and was walking around the desk toward her when she began to scream, clutching her hair as if in pain. Before he knew it, his vision blurred with red and he felt the life drain out of him, the world spinning until he fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood.

Eileen gasped, looking up to see Snape laying in a puddle of blood that was slowly growing as more spilled out though ragged cuts on his body. Running to him, she fell to her knees and grabbed his arm, shaking him as she sobbed, "No, I didn't mean it! Don't die, please don't die! NOOOO!" Falling against his lacerated body, she sobbed violently, "Mother, make him better, tell him I didn't mean it! Please, mother, I don't want him to hate me! Why can't I control it, why...MASTER!"

"D-Dumble...dore..." Snape sputtered, his vision going slowly.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes, saying, "I'll...I'll make it right, just like mother did!" Slowly and with a shaky hand, she began to mutter a lyrical spell that slowly made the cuts on his body fade away. Upon finishing, she fell forward and continued to sob, saying, "Please don't hate me, I...I'm so sorry, sir. Please forgive me, I promise it won't happen again!"

Snape was silent, staring up at the ceiling as if nothing inside him had enough energy to put forth into sitting up, pondering how he could have fallen prey so easily to an 11 year old girl.

"Where...where did you...learn that..." Snape finally asked in a whisper.

"Mother used it on father when I...when I hurt him..." She seemed to be recalling a time when this had happened before, a spell gone awry.

"No, the other spell."

"Mother...she said she learned it at school from a boy she liked."

"A boy...she liked?" Snape blinked and made an effort to look down at her as she sat up.

"Yes, she...she didn't mention his name but she said father was just like him. That's why she married him, my father, that is...I always secretly hoped that boy was nothing like my father." She looked down into her lap sadly, "I wish she'd married him instead."

"Why."

"Because he wouldn't have hated me for being something I had no control over. He would understand...he would have..."

Snape watched her closely before saying, "What if he was...just like your father?"

"He couldn't have been!" She gasped, not wishing for her hopes to be dashed by anything anyone said.

"He knew a spell like the one you used..."

"But...maybe he learned it from someone else! Maybe he didn't know!" She tried to defend him desperately.

"I doubt it."

"How would you..." Eileen's eyes widened and she stared at Snape with a mix of awe and horror. He frowned and suddenly realized she'd seen right through him, not wishing to speak of it any further. He waved his wand at the door and said in a strained voice, "You may go now."

Not waiting to argue, she ran to the door, opening it and dashing out, making a beeline for the dormitory. No one was around to see her run by soaked in Snape's blood, no one saw the frightened look in her eyes as she bounded up the stairs and came crashing into her dorm room. She began ripping her uniform off, too dark in the room for her to realize the mess, quickly putting on her nightgown and curling up on her bed in the fetal position.

Mephistopheles mewed softly in her ear, licking a couple flecks of blood off her face as she shook, staring into the darkness for the longest time before finally falling asleep.

_What is wrong with that girl_...her roommate gazed quietly at Eileen from over the edge of her blanket, unable to sleep now as Eileen began to have nightmares that lasted the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Ten

Eileen drifted down the stairs of her spacious country cottage, looking around at the empty walls and wondering why there had never been happy pictures of her family there. But this did not matter to her as she heard screaming in the living room and hurried to investigate.

As she reached the landing, a half-strangled voice shouted, "No, Eileen, go back upstairs!"

She didn't understand, why was her father holding her mother by the neck? It didn't look like she was enjoying it and it made her angry.

"Father, stop...you're hurting her." She spoke weakly, afraid she would fall prey to the same fate as her mother but not wanting to stand idly by while it happened.

He glared at her with the most savage hatred she had ever seen as he said, "I wish I'd never had you, you ungrateful freak!"

"Father..." Eileen looked horrified by his remark. He threw her mother onto the floor roughly, not caring if he broke her neck in the process as he stormed across the room toward Eileen, yelling, "Don't you DARE call me that! It's 'Master' and nothing else, do you understand?"

"But...but fa-" She whimpered as he towered over her shaking form.

"I said - " He raised his hand into the air, screaming, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

The world spun as she crashed to the floor, feeling as though he had punched her eye right out of its socket but not screaming in agony. Her mouth gaped at the unbearable feeling stabbing at her entire skull and she felt like she could have died right then, but the feeling of her father grabbing a chunk of her hair and wrenching her head back brought her out of her stupor.

"Look at your mother, do you want to be like her so desperately that you'd defy my orders?" Her father hissed into her ear before throwing her back to the floor where her nose cracked and let loose a stream of hot blood.

"Leave her alone, she's only a child!" Her mother ran across the room to fight him off but he hit her square in the stomach, knocking her to the floor again unceremoniously.

"You are the one that turned her into this...this...ABOMINATION!" He turned his attention toward her and began slapping her, calling her things that even Eileen didn't understand.

"M-mother..." Eileen whimpered, trying to get up despite the torture it caused her.

"No, Ei...leen..." He mother begged her not to defend her but Eileen staggered to her feet, saying in a shaky voice, "Stop it...stop it or I'll..." Whipping his head around viciously, her father glared up at her and spat, "You'll what, use your voodoo on me? You don't have your bloody stick to wave at me! You have some nerve threatening me, I'm the man of the house and I decide what will happen in it!"

"Not anymore." She stared defiantly at him with her right eye, feeling anger and loathing seething through her, filling her with a desire to cause him great harm.

"How dare you..." He hissed, quickly standing and stepping toward her with his hand raised again but this time, she screamed and it felt like the whole house felt it. Her father let out a cry of pain as his blood flew everywhere, painting the walls and Eileen with his very essence. His limp and severely slashed body fell with a great thud to the floor, blood pouring out in all directions as he continued to writhe in anguish.

The sound of sirens filled the air as Eileen stared down at him in surprise, not wishing to have gone so far. Falling to her knees next to his twitching body, she began to scream, "Mother! Mother, what have I done, he's going to die! Mother, do something, please!"

Suddenly, she looked at her father and found that it was not him at all but Snape, staring at her emptily.

"Is that how you treat the people you love, Eileen?" He said, his voice resounding in her head as it felt like splitting open.

"No, I didn't mean it! Please, I'm sorry, don't hate me!" She begged desperately.

"It's too late...I could never love you, you're too much of a freak."

"No please, I'll change! I'll stop doing magic, I'll forget everything I've learned, just don't hate me! Father, please! Father! FATHER!"

"Miss Pierce, wake up!" Eileen let out a blood-curdling scream before her eyes finally opened and stared wildly up at the face of a very frightened Professor McGonagall.

"I thought she was dying!" She heard a girl say next to her.

"My goodness, you gave us all a terrible scare! Are you quite alright?" McGonagall asked, letting her own heart calm down as Eileen gasped for air.

She sat bolt upright and exclaimed, "MASTER!"

"Master? Oh, was she having one of those dreams?" Pansy muttered, standing next to her roommate who looked dreadful, having been up all night unable to sleep.

Turning to the professor, Eileen grabbed at her robes and said frantically, "Professor Snape, he's hurt!"

Looking a little worried, McGonagall glanced to the pile of uniforms at the foot of Eileen's bed, still stained with blood. Hesitantly, she responded, "No, dear, it was just a dream...a very bad dream, at that."

"No! He's very weak; you have to help him, ma'am! Please, I'm telling the truth, you have to believe me!" She sobbed, her eyes pleading with McGonagall's as they looked quite sympathetic.

"Miss Pierce, calm yourself, Professor Snape is just fine. He's downstairs, as a matter of fact, he came to get me when he was told of your ceaseless nightmare. As you well know men are not allowed into the girls' dormito-Miss Pierce, where are you going!"

Eileen had leapt out of her bed and was bounding down the stairs, her lacey nightgown billowing behind her like great wings. Hitting the bottom step, she ran straight toward a gloomy figure wearing a gray dressing gown covered by a black cloak, tackling him into a nearby couch with a flurry of fabric.

"MASTER, I thought you were going to die!" Eileen sobbed, her petite arms wrapped tightly around his middle as he looked greatly disturbed by being attacked by a midget, clutching desperately at the couch as his leg hung over the back of it.

"What on earth..." He fought to regain his dignity, trying to pry her off of him but finding it unexpectedly difficult.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to...please don't hate - " She began to beg again but Snape cut her off.

"I already told you, I don't hate you, Miss Pierce. Now...get off of me." Snape muttered as students came down to investigate the disturbance.

She slowly slid off of him and onto the floor where she knelt clutching at his robes with her face buried in them.

"I...I dreamt that I hurt father but...but it wasn't him, it was you and...and you said you could never love a freak like me." She murmured, her voice muffled by the robes and only heard by Snape who looked frustrated with her.

"You are not a freak, Miss Pierce, but you are making a scene. Please go back to bed, I think we could all use some sleep." Snape groaned, feeling his body now protesting to the dramatic hug.

"You...don't think I'm an abomination, do you?" Her blue eyes swam with tears as she stared up at him hopefully.

"No." He sighed, but she grimaced and sobbed, "You're lying."

"Miss Pierce, please..." Snape was growing more uncomfortable now as McGonagall came down to see where Eileen had gone.

"You're never going to tell me the truth, are you?"

"Miss Pierce..."

"Please, I beg you, don't lie to me...it hurts too much...in my heart."

Snape's eyes stared at her, a sudden feeling of guilt washing over him, the likes of which he rarely ever felt for anything he had done. But somehow, lying to her, causing her pain...it caused him pain as well. He swallowed hard and whispered, "Eileen...I don't hate you, please understand that. I have never hated you..."

She stared up into his eyes and for the first time saw that he was telling her the complete and honest truth about his feelings toward her. Just how much above hatred she was she could not guess but anything is better than what her father felt for her. With a gasp, she buried her face in his robes again and began to sob heavily and uncontrollably.

Not sure how to respond, Snape merely let her get it out and remained quiet, watching her with great remorse that he hid behind his usual poker face.

Standing at the landing of the stairs, McGonagall watched in awed silence, having been quite sure that Snape would push her away or tell her she was being childish. Perhaps there was more to Snape than met the eye, but she was sure there was a lot to him that no one knew or could ever hope to know. She didn't feel it was her place to interfere at the moment, since it was Snape's house and she had no real reason to stay, but somehow she felt he wasn't in any condition to return to his room alone if Eileen's uniform was any indication.

"Oi, look at her crying all over him, what a baby." Draco had ambled down from his room, rubbing his eye sleepily as he witnessed the scene with his hooligan flunkies.

"Heh, she's a wimp after all, huh, Draco?" Goyle chimed in with a chuckle.

Snape suddenly realized just how many people were watching and he shouted, "All of you, back to bed! If I see even a toe in ONE MINUTE, whoever it belongs to will find themselves in detention for a MONTH!"

A great sound of hurrying and stumbling rung out as students pushed past each other to get back to bed and pretend to be asleep. Within seconds, all was quiet except for Eileen's soft sobbing and Snape let out a sigh as he said, "Alright, Eileen, now it's time for you to - "

"Go to bed, I know. Do I have to?" Eileen didn't remove herself from his robes and he blinked down at her.

"Yes, of course, you can't sit there crying on me all night." Snape said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

She looked up into his eyes and finally noted how pale he was, most likely from losing so much blood in his office. Her feeble hand found its way to his cheek and he looked startled by this sudden bodily contact, about to protest when she said, "Oh no, it was real...I did hurt you!"

"Miss Pierce, I'm perfectly fine." Snape whispered, trying to get up.

"No, stay still!" She threw her weight into him again and he collapsed flat on his back on the couch, looking quite distraught. Whipping out her wand, she made to cast a spell but Snape said, "No, don't - "

"Shh!" She said sternly and he stared at her, wondering where she got the nerve to be so rude to him. She closed her eyes, her soft voice slowly filling the common room with a beautiful song as she passed her wand over and over his body, bathing him in a bluish glow.

Both teachers watched in silence, amazed by the level of magic she was able to use, her chanting becoming quite soothing to the ear. They began to wish it would never end when finally, she stopped singing and said, "You should be back to normal now, sir, try sitting up."

Cautiously, Snape sat up and felt no fatigue or numbness and the scars left by the previous spell had vanished completely. He stared at her, disbelief in his voice as he said, "How...?"

"Mother was always a good healer, she taught me how to take care of myself after father - " She stopped mid-sentence, realizing McGonagall was listening intently in the corner and saying, "...after father left."

"Your mother was a skilled witch then, as are you, such a spell is hard to master. You definitely have great potential, Miss Pierce." McGonagall spoke up, crossing the common room to the couch where she looked down at Snape and said, "Are you well?"

"Yes, quite well." Snape rose and looked down at Eileen who had cast her gaze into her lap, brooding over the past again. Expressionless, he held his hand out to her and said sternly, "It is far past your bedtime, Miss Pierce, I suggest returning to your room and going back to sleep."

Looking up at his hand in wonder, she placed her hand in it and he gently lifted her to her feet, releasing her and pulling his robe up around his dressing gown.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Eileen said, "Restful sleep to you, sir. I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you both, I hope you will not hold it against me in the future."

"My dear, we are here to help you, not punish you for having bad dreams." McGonagall placed a hand on her back and steered her toward the stairs, "Try not to dwell on the past, it's best to focus your thoughts on the future and keep your spirits up."

"Thank you, ma'am, restful sleep to you as well. Goodnight, professors." Eileen bowed her head to them as she ascended to her room like a real ghost, silent and smooth as if a gentle breeze was carrying her.

McGonagall waited until she heard the door click shut before leaving the dorm with Snape. As they walked down the hallway she turn to Snape and said, "I saw her robes, Severus, they're soaked in blood. I managed to clean them before anyone else saw them but it still concerns me, what really happened?"

"It was an accident, nothing more." Snape replied, sounding as if he didn't wish to discuss it.

"She could have killed you, you do realize that?" McGonagall frowned, her voice concerned.

"Yes...I do." The reality of that was quite clear to him.

"We should tell Dumbledore of this, she could prove a danger to the other students."

"I have it under control, there is no need to trouble the headmaster with this."

"But Severus - " McGonagall gazed at him in surprise.

"She is my student and my responsibility." Snape replied shrewdly, back to his usual spiteful self.

Raising her chin to glare down her nose at him suspiciously, she replied, "If you feel you can handle it. Keep a close eye on this one, Severus, she has powers that not even she can comprehend."

"The Dark Lord would have wanted her in a heartbeat." Snape mused as he turned a corner and headed toward his room.

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing he was defeated, I would hate to see her turn to such evil." McGonagall sighed as she shook her head. Snape remained quiet as they eventually went their separate ways to return to their beds for a few more hours of sleep before school started in the morning.

OoOoOoOo

Eileen woke to find the room abandoned and she wondered if she had slept in late again but the clock told her she still had 45 minutes until her first class: Potions. She didn't seem fond of seeing Snape again so soon but she was used to life throwing her curveballs. Dressing and informing the hungry kneazle eyeing her that she'd return with breakfast, she rushed out the door with her book bag securely over her shoulder, hopping down the stairs and coming to a stop in the common room where a smattering of whispering groups hovered around chairs and couches. The sound ceased upon seeing her and she knew immediately that they had been recalling the night's events, most likely exaggerating much of it.

Instead of running and trying to avoid being seen, she marched boldly past the judgmental glares and went right out the entrance without a second glance. She felt good ignoring them and hurried up to breakfast where she found herself sitting with the Gryffindors again, sandwiched between the Weasley twins as they asked her about last night.

"We heard you tried to kill Snape! How did it go?" Fred asked cheerfully, stuffing some eggs into his mouth.

"Where did you hear that?" Eileen asked, daintily stirring her porridge before eating a small spoonful.

"It's been filtering over from the Slytherin table but we think it's been a bit...filled out." George explained.

"I don't think you managed to morph your cat into a dragon to ravage Snape, though that would be pretty wicked." Fred said, obviously envisioning this fondly.

"And I doubt that you snogged him on the couch afterward either." George noted, looking least convinced by this.

"Snogged?" She looked confused, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah, made out." Fred said.

"Sucked face." George added.

"Kissed." They said in unison.

"What? I...I did no such thing! That's...well..." She began to stir her breakfast viciously, wishing death to all the Slytherins that had spread such a rumor.

"Gross?" Fred suggested.

"Appalling?" George mused.

"Sickening?"

"Atrocious?"

"Foul?"

"Repulsive?"

"Unlikely." Eileen said, narrowing her eyes at them.

"I wouldn't bad mouth Snape, guys, unless you have a death wish." Ron interrupted, seeing the same look arriving in her eyes that she gave Ron when he insulted Snape at the duel.

"Blimey, then you do like him?" George seemed completely dumbstruck at the prospect of someone being attracted to the potions master they all loathed with a passion.

"I admire and respect professor Snape." She responded plainly.

"Then why did you almost kill him? Not that I'm complaining..." Harry also joined the conversation.

"I...it wasn't my fault, I didn't mean to." Eileen looked mortified and Harry blinked in surprise, saying, "You mean...you cast a spell unintentionally?"

"I'm sure you think I'm some freak now..." She hung her head.

"No! I've had the same thing happen to me too! I once let a snake out of it's enclosure at the zoo without meaning to." Harry admitted.

"And when I was 4, Bill says I made a stack of dishes fall off the counter cause mom made me wash them and I didn't feel like it." Ron said, wishing he could remember that.

"We've made stuff hit Bill and Charlie without really intending to." The twins admitted together, though they probably had fully intended to do it but didn't want to be left out.

"I...I made an entire bookshelf fall to the floor cause I wanted a book at the top." Hermione blushed.

They all laughed and Eileen seemed quite surprised as she said, "So you mean..."

"It's perfectly normal for things like that to happen, it just means you haven't been trained to control it yet." Hermione said smartly, trying to make up for her little embarrassment.

"Even...even if you cause harm to others? Is that...normal?" Eileen asked and they seemed to quiet down.

"What exactly did you do to Snape, anyway? I've heard a lot of things but I wanted to know the true story." Fred said, watching her intently as if expecting a grand story.

"I...I don't think I should...he didn't seem happy about it." Eileen nervously shoveled more porridge into her mouth.

"So?" George cocked an eyebrow.

Eileen glared at him and he was taken back as she stood quickly, saying, "I said I respect professor Snape, which means if he wishes others not to know about private matters then I won't speak of them. Frankly, I don't want anyone to know about it either, it...causes hostility. I have to feed Mephi before class, goodbye." Pausing to snatch a pile of ham off a tray, she stormed out of the hall and left the group feeling rather ashamed.

Hermione stood next and said, "Honestly, do you two have to be so nosy? She was opening up so nicely and you had to go and make her mad! Im going to class." She too stormed off and all the boys exchanged baffled and lost looks.

"What is with girls?" Ron asked, shaking his head, "One's mad, they're all mad!"

"Blimey, I never thought anyone would take to Snape like she has...poor girl." Fred said.

"Why are you sorry for her?" Harry asked, though he had the same thoughts swimming in his own head.

"Do you honestly think he'll ever return the sentiment? This is Snape were talking about...she's in for a lot of letdowns." George responded for his brother as if their thought waves were the same.

"I think she's used to it." Ron said suddenly and they looked at him curiously, "From what I can tell, her family life sucked big time. I feel sorry for her..."

OoOoOoOo

Eileen managed to find the courage to muster enough self control not to look upset when she entered potions class just in the nick of time, taking a seat at the back of the room instead of her usual spot right up front.

Snape had his back to the class as he thumbed through a textbook, waiting until he thought it was time to turn around and see who was MIA. Finally, he snapped the book shut and whirled around, looking the class over and barely registering Eileen's seating adjustment.

"Pop quiz, let's see who has been listening to my lessons so far this year: Who can tell me what asphodel is?" Snape asked, looking over the faces of the startled students, completely caught off guard as their fingers itched to grab their text books and look it up. Upon seeing no hands, Snape said, "Come now, have you all been daydreaming? I mentioned this a few days ago."

"Sir?" Eileen slowly put her hand in the air and everyone seemed to turn and stare at her, it had been a long time since she'd spoken up in class.

"Yes, Miss Pierce?" Snape seemed glad that at least someone took a chance.

"Asphodel is a plant that is most commonly associated with the afterlife because the powdered roots of the plant are used in the Draught of Living Death." Eileen responded simply.

"Very good, 10 points to Slytherin. Now, who can tell me what knotgrass is?" Snape began to patrol the class and another student raised their hand and answered surprisingly correctly.

On and on went the quiz and it became obvious to Eileen that he had made up the pop quiz as a result of not being prepared for the lesson that day. This was fine by her because she enjoyed being dared to think rather than do what she already knew. She answered a few other questions when the rest of the class seemed stumped, wanting to give them a fair chance and not wishing to appear haughty about her knowledge. The class went over well in her mind and she was sad when it came to an end because for the first time in a while, she was on normal, non-hostile speaking terms with her head of house and this, to her, was very good indeed.

As the class filtered out of the room, she ended up last to leave and heard her name called quietly behind her. Turning, she saw Snape staring at her from across the room, leaning against the desk with his hands resting on the edge.

"Sir?" She blinked, wondering what he was going to ask her now.

"Good work in class today...I expect more participation out of you in the future." He said in a hushed voice as if he was afraid someone would hear him encouraging her and think ill of him. With a soft smile, she said, "It would be my pleasure, sir."

"And...about last night..." He seemed uneasy about mentioning this and she said quickly, "Professor, I would never speak of it to anyone, even if asked incessantly by a pair of redheaded boys."

Apparently he had been watching her at breakfast this morning because he smirked.

"You don't have to defend me all the time, Miss Pierce, I'm fully capable of doing that for myself." He said in a soft voice.

"I know...it's just a built in response, I can't help wanting others to think more of the people I admire."

"Admire?" He blinked as he stared at her smiling face, seeing it flush slightly.

"Yes...I must hurry or I'll miss my next class, good day to you, sir!" She said quickly, turning and leaving the classroom before Snape could argue this statement.

He stayed half-sitting on the desk for several minutes, her words swimming through his mind before he was able to set his thoughts on more immediate things, like giving random people detention.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Eleven

The next couple of weeks passed quickly and before everyone knew it, it was the day before Christmas. Most of the students had left by now and were enjoying the holidays with their friends and family but a handful from each house stayed behind to enjoy festivities at Hogwarts. Eileen passed the break from school with visits to the library, reading every book she could get her hands on and becoming quite close to the librarian, Ms. Pince.

It was drawing close to evening and she decided to go for a walk through the school to see the decorations being hung here and there. She heard voices in the great hall and peeked in to see a majority of the teachers putting decorations on the trees as Hagrid set them up, 12 beautiful and towering trees set all around the room and glowing with faerie light. Harry was quite right, she did love this and wanted to help out, deciding to walk over to McGonagall who was working on a tree Hagrid had just brought in.

"Good evening, Professor, can I help?" Eileen looked up curiously, a happy glint in her eyes as she watched the faeries dance and giggle at her.

"Oh, good evening, Miss Pierce. Well, normally we don't let the students handle the ornaments but...you're more than qualified, I think. Here, just arrange them far enough apart so that they don't bicker." She demonstrated and Eileen quickly caught on, using her wand to levitate the faeries to their places and freezing them there.

"Alrigh', Eileen?" Hagrid called as he dragged another tree through the great hall and came to a stop just beyond them.

"Hello, Hagrid! These trees are lovely, you all must have fun decorating them every year." Eileen said, having a ball herself.

"Aye, we do, righ', Professor McGonagall?" Hagrid beamed, setting up the new tree and dusting off his hands.

"Most of the time, unless Peeves decides to do a little decorating of his own." McGonagall sighed, placing a faerie roughly on the tree.

"I saw him making the suits of armor kiss in the hallway." Eileen stated dully and Flitwick hovered over, saying, "That pest, I'll go take care of him."

"No need, he's rubbing his bruised rump upstairs as we speak." Snape came strolling in and Eileen smiled at the sight of him.

"Severus, how nice of you to join us." McGonagall said, nodding in greeting before returning to her lighting.

"I was merely on my way out, actually, I thought I'd stop in to make sure nothing else had been fouled by that creature." Snape commented, glancing at Eileen before looking around the room.

"Have a pleasant trip, professor." Hagrid said, the holiday cheer present in his voice.

Snape didn't seem to take notice as he nodded to them all and swept back out of the great hall. Eileen looked after him for a moment before saying, "Thank you for letting me help, I had a lot of fun. I will see you at dinner tonight, peaceful decorating!"

"Keep warm, dear." McGonagall said as she ran out of the room.

McGonagall smiled as Hagrid said, "Wonder where she's off ter."

"I wonder..." McGonagall muttered, but she had a very good idea.

OoOoOoOo

Snape marched slowly across the buried path to the school gates, trudging through the snow with his cloak pulled tightly around him against the wind. Just as he reached the gate, he heard the entrance doors creak open and turned to see who was following him.

"Master, wait!" He peered through his hood to see the tiny torso of Eileen hopping through the clearing Snape had made and waited patiently until she managed to catch up to him.

"What is it, Miss Pierce? You should be inside." He asked calmly, staring down over the edge of his olive green scarf.

"Where are you going, sir? You're not going away for Christmas, are you?" Eileen looked worried and he reached up to pull the scarf down a little, turning around to face her completely.

"And if I were, why does it concern you?" He asked, sounding curious despite the lack of emotion in his features.

"Well...I had hoped that you would be here for Christmas because..." She toed the ground and muttered, "I wanted to give you something."

"Detention?"

"No, never!" She grinned and said sheepishly, "A...gift."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, I...I've never actually celebrated Christmas before but Ron, Harry, and Hermione told me all about it."

"I see, never celebrated it?"

"No, sir."

"And you want me there for your first Christmas?"

"It...would be nice but not necessary if you have business elsewhere." She looked down at her damp shoes as the cold began to sting through the meager cloak she wore.

He watched her for a moment before saying, "Do you not own any warm clothes, Miss Pierce?"

"These are my warm clothes, sir." She seemed embarrassed by this but Snape didn't take notice as he pondered this for a moment before pulling his scarf off and draping it around her neck.

She looked up in surprise and he said, "Merry Christmas, Miss Pierce."

Blushing, she touched it tenderly as she whispered, "Th-thank you, sir..."

"I expect that present in the morning now." Snape said in a low rumble, readjusting his hood so that it blocked the wind from his now exposed face. She smiled up at him, her cheeks rosy from the cold as she hurried forward, wrapping her arms around his waist.

He hesitated awkwardly before pulling his cloak around her, locking in his warmth and shielding her from the chill filling the air.

"Can I give it to you myself?" Eileen inquired, picking at a button on his coat.

He gazed around, keeping an eye out for any peeping eyes, whispering, "If you wish to."

"Thank you, sir." She snuggled into his warmth as he rested his hands gently on her back, keeping the cloak closed over her.

They stood in the snow together for what seemed like forever before Snape said, "I need to go now, Miss Pierce."

"Oh, I'm sorry, have I made you late?" She looked worried as she stepped back from him, still inside the cloak but able to see him now.

"No, but you should be getting back inside, it's getting colder and I don't want to be responsible for making you sick." Snape responded.

She nodded and stepped out of the warm and comfort of his traveling cloak, saying quickly before returning to the school, "Have a safe journey, sir! See you tomorrow morning!"

"See you...Eileen." Snape whispered mostly to himself as he watched her return safely to the entranceway before turning and trekking through the gates.

OoOoOoOo

"Oi, Eileen!" Ron came walking toward her from the direction of the Gryffindor dormitory, a broad smile on his face, "Merry Christmas Eve!"

"A merry Christmas Eve to you too, Ron! And you, Harry, how are you both?" Eileen said smiling happily at them as they met at the entrance to the great hall.

"Doing fine," Harry pointed at her new scarf and said, "What is that you're wearing? It looks moldy."

"It was a gift." She said, hugging it to herself, as it was large enough and long enough to wrap around her shoulders several times, the tails trailing behind her like a cape.

"Seriously?" Ron blinked, "Sure it wasn't a practical joke?"

"A practical joke?" Eileen blinked, not understanding.

"Nevermind, who gave it to you?"

"A friend." She smiled, wishing to keep her moment with Snape a secret.

The boys exchanged curious glances as they walked together toward the Gryffindor table. Sitting, they began to talk about the decorations, noting the many displays Peeves had set up behind the teachers' backs.

"I'm glad mum and dad let me stay at Hogwarts this Christmas, I get to enjoy the place without Draco's ugly face lurking around every corner." Ron stretched idly and Eileen smiled.

"That is a pleasant relief." She said and they looked over at her in surprise.

"Well, I'm glad we agree on something." Harry said, "So I guess he hasn't been very nice to you lately?"

"He's never been nice to me, I don't know why...but Professor Snape always tells him off if he catches him at it." Eileen smiled at this.

"No way, I never thought I'd see the day that Snape actually did anything but praise Malfoy!" Ron said, a look of awe on his face.

"Really?" Eileen felt her heart skip a beat, a fluttering sensation filling her stomach as she pondered his actions around and toward her.

"Yeah...hey, speaking of which, where is he?" Harry had glanced up at the staff table and found the absence of the gloomy figure he so loathed.

"Out on business, he said he'd be back by morning." Eileen informed them idly.

"I wonder what he's up to..." Ron mused, imagining Snape out kicking gnomes for jollies as he pranced across a snowy field.

"Probably nothing go-um, nothing that's got to do with us." Harry changed mid-sentence, not wishing to make Eileen angry again.

"He didn't say. Oh, Dumbledore's finally here." They turned their attention to the white wizard as he stepped up to the podium and said, "Welcome to all of you who have joined us this fine Christmas Eve, let us enjoy each others company and get a glorious nights sleep full of fanciful things and dancing candies. Now, tuck in!"

Food appeared on the platters and the hall filled with cheerful conversation as the remaining students began to eat. The meal went surprisingly fast and before she knew it, she was bidding the boys a goodnight before making her way back to the dorms. The common room was nearly empty as most of the Slytherins were away except for a few miserable looking first years and a 5th year who was busily trying to finish homework over the holidays. She smiled at them, despite the cold response she got in return, and hurried up to her room to see Mephistopheles curled up in his basket to keep warm while she was gone.

"Mephi, I've brought you a lovely Christmas Eve dinner, eat up!" Eileen said cheerfully, handing him a napkin full of various meats. He wolfed it down and purred happily as she stroked him and said, "Master gave me his scarf today as a present, isn't he nice? I didn't expect to get anything, I hope my gift will be enough for him. I've been working on it for months but I think I'm happy with it now. Mother always said I was as skilled with my hands as I am with my mind."

She moved his basket onto the bed and opened her trunk, pulling out a bulging brown paper package and gently unwrapping it to give it a once over. Holding it up, she said, "It's lovely, I'm sure he will like it...if not, that's fine, I'll understand."

"Who'll like it?" Her roommate entered and caught a glimpse of the gift before she hid it away in the trunk.

Looking curious, Eileen eyed her for a moment before answering, "A friend."

"I see...so it's a present?" The girl sat down on her bed, kicking off her shoes.

"Yes, it is. It's Beth, right?" Eileen had begun to rummage in her trunk again and produced a small package, walking over to the girl who looked apprehensive.

"Y-yes?" Beth blinked as she held the brown paper lump out to her.

"Merry Christmas. I'm sorry for the way I acted toward you, I had no right to treat you the way I did and I hope you won't hate me forever. I made this for you, I hope you like it." Eileen smiled gently and the girl still seemed wary of her.

"Is this a joke?"

"No, of course not, I want to make it up to you by giving you a gift. You...don't want it, do you?" Eileen looked somewhat sad, lowering her hand to her side, "I don't blame you, you probably think I've jinxed it or something...I guess I could give it to Hermione when she gets back..."

"Why don't you just tell an owl to take it to her?" Beth asked, still looking at the gift curiously.

"An...owl?" Eileen blinked.

"Yeah, they're up in the owlery, at the top of the tower by the Gryffindor dormitory. Haven't you ever used an owl before?"

"I don't have anyone to send something to, and no one to send me things." Eileen looked at the floor as she turned to walk back to her open trunk.

"What about your parents? Oh...are you an orphan?"

"More or less." Eileen sat on her bed and turned the package slowly in her hands.

Beth watched her for a minute before saying cautiously, "I...I'll take it."

"You will?" Looking up, Eileen's sadness melted away and she returned to the girl, handing her the present and watching her open it.

With a look of wonder, Beth pulled out a delicate looking bracelet with beads that shimmered of their own accord, seeming to contain tiny universes within their glass walls.

"It's so...pretty. Where did you get this?" Beth examined each bead with amazement at the detail of the contents.

"I made it, do you like it?" Eileen smiled as an even more shocked expression crossed her face.

"You...you made this? How!" Beth exclaimed.

"Oh, it's a rather tricky bit of charming but you use regular beads and chant a series of spells to create the effect you desire. You can even charm them to look like they have fire inside. See?" Eileen pulled a fragile silver chain from within her cloak and revealed a heart-shaped crystal encasing a dancing flame, "My mother made this one for me when I was 4, she said it was to reflect the fiery spirit inside my own heart. Now I think of it as a part of her that I keep with me always."

"That's very...touching..." Beth looked down at her own charmed bracelet and said, "Why would you give me something so beautiful?"

"Why wouldn't I? Just because we didn't get along doesn't mean I'd hate you enough to forget you at Christmas. You stayed in the room with me all these months and I'm grateful, you've kept me company and didn't abandon me. I don't like being alone..." She smiled sincerely and Beth felt remorse; it wasn't like she hadn't tried to move out, students had to stay in the dorm room of their year by school policy.

"Eileen, I...I can't accept this." Beth said quietly, holding the bracelet out to her.

Looking slightly disappointed, she said, "Is it...is it because the others will tease you if they see you wearing it?"

"No."

"Then...why?"

Beth couldn't find the words to say that she hated being in the room with her, she knew she would be very upset about it.

Eileen seemed to understand and said, "I know you don't like me and I understand that, I'm not trying to win your friendship with that bracelet. I just wanted to thank you putting up with Mephi and I for so long. Please, keep it...you can tell everyone you got it from someone else, I won't mind." Eileen returned to her bed and re-wrapped the gift she had been examining before Beth came in, tenderly setting it inside the trunk and lowering the lid. Moving the basket back onto the trunk, she pulled back the covers and crawled underneath, curling up with her kneazle and saying, "Goodnight, Beth."

Beth sat silently watching the galaxies revolve in the beads, their soft glow barely lighting up her guilty face in the darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Twelve

Morning came fresh and sweet as Eileen snuggled Mephistopheles lovingly before sitting up. She glanced over at Beth and saw that she was still asleep, her hand draped across her pillow revealing the bracelet around her wrist. Smiling, she noticed a small pile of gifts at the foot of her bed. There was nothing on Eileen's bed but she didn't mind as she caressed the scarf around her neck with a smile.

Changing garments, she took the gift out of the trunk and stowed it away in her bag before journeying out of the room and into the deserted common room. She resolved that the rest of the students were either still asleep or opening presents as she stepped out into the hall and made her way to the great hall. There were a few students sitting eating breakfast and only McGonagall sat watching at the staff table, apparently the others were taking their sweet time getting up today. Instead of taking a seat herself, she went to see if Snape was in his office yet but there came no response. She had almost turned to go when she caught sight of him coming around the corner toward her.

"Merry Christmas, sir!" Eileen said cheerfully, beaming at him as he came closer.

"It's rather early, don't you think, Miss Pierce?" Snape yawned, looking a little annoyed at having to see a student so soon.

Quickly rummaging in her bag, Eileen pulled out the meagerly wrapped gift and said, "I wanted to give it to you in private so no one would see, in case you don't like it."

"If you already suspect I won't like it, why give it to me?" Snape blinked groggily as he took the package from her, looking at it curiously.

"Because you said you were expecting it, sir?" Eileen stared at him as if wondering why he'd forgotten his own orders so soon.

"Oh...yes, I did. Well, I suppose I should open it then." He made to remove the paper wrapping but Eileen muttered, "Um..."

"Yes?" Snape raised his eyebrows.

"N-nothing...I forgot to get Mephi his breakfast, I'll see you later." And with that she hurried past him and disappeared around the corner before Snape could say anything.

Looking after her with a puzzled expression, he stepped into his office and unwrapped the gift as he walked to his desk. Pausing, he looked down at the contents in surprise, holding it up with an incredulous stare. A note fluttered to the floor and he glanced down at it, reading it without stooping to pick it up, "Something to keep you warm this winter, hope you like it."

"How did she..." He looked the gift over again and frowned, laying it on the desk as he decided what exactly to do about it.

OoOoOoOo

Eileen was met at breakfast by Ron who was sporting a new sweater with an "R" knitted into the front, finding Harry to be wearing a similar sweater but with an "H". The twins were already seated at the table wearing shirts with their initials on them.

"Morning, Eileen!" The twins chirped together, scooting apart to make space for her.

She sat between them and looked at them with a puzzled expression, saying, "Why are you wearing each other's sweaters? Did you get them mixed up?"

"How did you notice so fast?" George looked surprised, looking down at his "F" sweater.

"She's got a keen eye!" Fred nodded, whispering to her, "It's a practical joke, just play along."

"I see...alright, George." She smiled and the twins laughed.

"So what did you get for Christmas?" Ron asked, stuffing some eggs into his mouth.

"I already showed you what I got." Eileen said blankly, pointing to the scarf.

"That's it?"

"Yes...why?" The boys exchanged rather guilty looks and decided not to tell her what all they had gotten.

"Sorry I didn't get you anything, you're welcome to have some of my chocolate frogs, if you want." Harry offered out of guilt.

"It's okay, I didn't make you anything either, I only had time for two presents this year." Eileen smiled.

"Two presents? Who were they for?" Ron asked curiously.

"My roommate, Beth, and a friend. I thought I'd make up for being such a bother to her." Eileen said, taking a small bite of ham.

"That's nice of you. Who's the other friend?" Fred asked.

"That's a secret." She grinned.

They looked at her curiously, it was rare of her to smile so much, she was usually pretty calm and expressionless. This amused the twins as they grinned right back.

"Did you make them yourself?" George inquired, leaning on the table and staring at her merrily.

"Of course, I don't have money to buy anything. I asked a couple of the teachers if they would help me get supplies for it and they seemed more than happy to oblige."

"Now I'm really curious, what did you make?" Fred leaned on the table as well.

"That's also a secret." She seemed amused by this game.

"Well it must be for someone important if the teachers helped you out." George mused.

"Come on, tell us!" Fred begged.

She shook her head, smiling as she ate some more breakfast.

The twins tried to wheedle an answer out of her, guessing and inquiring until breakfast was over.

"Hey, let's have a snowball fight!" Fred cheered, running over to a window by the table and admiring the piles of fresh snow outside.

"Yeah, look at all that ammunition!" George joined him, exchanging mischievous grins with his twin.

"Snowball fight?" Eileen glanced out, wondering what they were referring to.

"No way, I'm too stuffed." Ron whined, rubbing his full stomach.

"Who's fault is that? Come on, you can run off that meal while we pelt you with snowballs!" Fred grinned, grabbing Ron's arm and dragging him out of the great hall.

"Snowball fight outside!" George shouted, grabbing Eileen's hand and running after his brothers.

Several other students cheered and followed them out, making up teams as soon as they were outside and building forts in the snow. They began lobbing snowballs back and forth, dueling it out until most of the kids were too tired to continue or too numb to feel their fingers.

"Gryffindor rules!" Fred yelled, pelting some Ravenclaws and Slytherins who were trying to fall back to the safety of the school.

"Man that was fun!" George laughed, his breath coming out as puffs of fog as he panted for air.

"You were brilliant, Eileen! You're pretty good with your hands." Fred nudged her as she smiled, a snowball in her mittened hands.

"Thank you, I had fun." She smiled, obviously missing the innuendo in his comment.

"MUTINY!" George cried, pelting Fred and Eileen with snowballs he had left over.

They screamed and threw snowballs back, racing around the field digging handfuls of snow up as they went and hurling it at each other.

George stopped to gather a huge ball of snow, preparing to hurl it at Eileen, "Take this!"

"Noooo!" Fred dramatically tackled Eileen out of the way, taking the hit for her. They collapsed into the snow, giggling and gasping for air.

"Oh no, you're hit!" Eileen giggled, lying in the cold snow underneath Fred.

"I did it for you, Eileen! Remember me!" Fred feigned death, flopping on top of her.

"You're gonna crush her, you brute!" George laughed, pulling his brother off of Eileen.

Eileen just smiled and laughed, sitting up and dusting herself off. Looking up at the sky, she said, "It's getting colder, we should probably go inside."

"Yeah, I'm freezing. Let's go warm up by the fire place!" Fred jumped up with a grin.

"You're alive!" George tackled his brother with love, flopping back into the snow and wrestling about.

Eileen laughed at them as she got up, swiping the rest of the snow off of her clothes as the boys got back up, pushing and shoving playfully.

"Last one back is a rotten Snape!" George chuckled, dashing through the snow toward the shelter of the castle.

"Hey! Come on, Eileen!" Fred grabbed her hand and took off after him, laughing all the way back to the Gryffindor dormitory.

OoOoOoOo

Dinner came sooner than anyone had thought it would. The great hall was alive with chatter and laughter, the trees dancing with the light of their ornaments as students came in to fill in the void left by so many absent bodies, only two tables set up instead of the usual four. Eileen had joined the boys again and they talked about random things as they waited for dinner to start.

It was getting close to the start of dinner and all the staff was present but Snape, causing Eileen to get a nervous knot in her stomach.

"Maybe he didn't like it after all." Eileen muttered, twisting her skirt in her hands.

"Hmm?" Fred blinked over at her curiously.

"Nothing." She sighed. But her anxieties were suddenly forgotten as the door behind the staff table cracked open.

They all watched in awe as Snape stepped into the room, wearing a jet black coat that fell to the floor, the perfectly tailored seams done in a dark green with a peaked lapel that was black on the chest and dark forest green around the neck. There were subtle designs stitched into the cloak everywhere, an elegant design on the slightly long cuffs. Three crystal buttons did up the front and cuffs of the coat and gave Snape an overall regal look as he swept forward and took his place at the table, half of the attendants marveling at his new apparel. Several of the teachers seemed be hiding their delight and amusement as they tossed Eileen approving glances and smiles.

"Blimey! Look at Snape!" Ron exclaimed under his breath.

"Woah, he's actually wearing something different for a change!" George gawked.

"Hey, wait a minute...is that the secret present?" Fred hissed to Eileen who merely smiled bashfully.

"No way! That's a wicked coat!" George whispered too.

"You made that? When!" Harry couldn't believe she had managed to make that during the heavy workload she was constantly found working on in the library and on the grounds.

"Over the past 2 months, I'm a fast worker and I use magic to sew, so I can set it to work and do some essays in the meantime." Eileen smiled, honored that they admired her work so greatly. They still couldn't believe it even after dinner was over, taking one last glance at Snape before heading up to bed.

Eileen hovered by a window looking out over the snowy grounds as she waited for the rest of the students to make their way back the warmth of the dorms, eager to speak to Snape about the coat but without a dozen or so onlookers watching them. She was just about to see if it was safe to approach him when he came up behind her, a look on his face she had never seen before. Snape looked...nervous.

"I, um..." Snape spoke in a hushed voice, a look of awkwardness as he absent-mindedly played with the cuffs.

"Do you like it? I wasn't sure if I got the measurements right but I just took it a bit at a time and it looks like it fits perfectly!" Eileen beamed happily as Snape's eyes widened, his face going pale.

"You made this? When?" He began to admire the handiwork himself with a renewed amazement.

"Between schoolwork, it's the best I could do." She gave him an apologetic look and he quickly said, "No, I...it just looked so..."

"I only have funds for school supplies. Do you like it?"

"It's...I don't really...you shouldn't have." Snape mumbled, looking steadily more guilty, after all the times he had treated her so badly she was secretly making him a present out of the goodness of her heart.

"It doesn't matter, sir, it's made to fit you, I can't very well give it to anyone else and I put too much effort into making it to just let it sit in my trunk." She said, rotating back and forth as she clutched her hands in front of her.

"But...all I gave you was my scarf." Snape said glumly.

"What do you mean? I love it! It's soft and warm and reminds me of you every time I wear it, like you're always with me." Eileen snuggled it against her cheek affectionately, "It's the best thing anyone's ever given me, sir, and I don't wish to part with it for anything in the world!"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Snape muttered, "But it's just a scarf..."

"It's not just a scarf, sir...it's a memory, one that I shall carry with me forever." Eileen smiled tenderly up at him and he softened his gaze, realizing he wasn't going to win this fight.

"Well...if you like it that much..." He looked around and saw that no one else was in the room, figuring the teachers had decided to give them some privacy, causing him to feel even more awkward.

"Oh, I do! I love it very much! And..." She trailed off, bowing her head as her cheeks flushed again, but this time the cold hadn't caused it.

"And?" Snape glanced back at her and frowned, "What is it?"

She didn't reply, she had almost admitted something to him that she was not ready to confess quite yet.

Seeing a growing look of embarrassment crossing her face, Snape said, "Thank you."

"Sir?" Eileen looked up with a surprised expression.

"The coat...thank you, I...like it." He said in a whisper, looking away in embarrassment.

A content expression filled her eyes as she said, "I'm glad..."

Turning his attention to the window, he said, "The snow's coming down harder tonight, no doubt there will be snowballs aplenty flying in the afternoon tomorrow."

"No doubt...it's pretty, isn't it?" Eileen turned around to look out at the landscape shrouded in white.

Standing next to her, Snape replied softly, "I suppose it is..."

Eileen's tiny hand slipped into his and he looked down in wonder as she smiled up at him, her blue eyes dancing with joy.

"Thank you for letting me spend my first Christmas with you, sir. I'll cherish it forever."

For a long moment he just stared at her before slowly returning her smile.

She let her hand linger in his for a moment longer before pulling away and folding her arms on the windowsill, resting her chin on it and gazing out at the snowy landscape.

Snape watched her curiously before he went back to watching the snow fall slowly outside, remaining there with her well past curfew.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Thirteen

Christmas came and went quickly and the school was filled with the thunder of students once again. It was barely into January and weather had become less appealing to those who had classes outside. A snowstorm had hit Hogwarts a few days prior and now several feet of snow blocked the windows of the first floors of the school, still gaining depth as the storm refused to cease.

Eileen spent a lot of time in the library, researching things as usual and learning new spells in her spare time. She was deeply engrossed in a random restricted section book when Hermione came into the library and saw her sitting in a far corner alone.

"Hi, Eileen! How was your Christmas?" Hermione whispered cheerfully as she took a seat next to her.

"Oh, it was wonderful, I'll never forget it. How was yours?" Eileen smiled at Hermione as she put a bookmark in her page and closed the book.

"It was alright. I heard you gave Snape a coat for Christmas, what did he say?"

"He said he liked it." Eileen replied, looking around and wondering how many people had passed along this knowledge, "Try not to tell too many people, I'm not sure he'd want people talking about it."

Hermione's eyes floated to the scarf around her neck and she said, "I see, I won't tell anyone. I've never heard him say anything appreciative to a student before, I wouldn't have thought it possible."

"What do you mean? He can't be nice enough to thank someone for a gift?" Eileen frowned at her.

"Well, I honestly didn't think anyone gave him gifts, he doesn't seem to have any friends...I know the teachers don't like him. I think the only one who has some kind of friendship with him is Dumbledore, or at least he trusts him." Hermione explained in a low voice.

"Why wouldn't Dumbledore trust him?" Eileen looked inquisitively at her.

"Well...there are rumors that he was once in league with you-know-who, no one here really thinks he switched sides." Hermione whispered grimly.

"I don't know who you speak of, who was he in league with?" Eileen seemed completely oblivious and Hermione was surprised.

"You...you don't know? And I thought it was strange that Harry didn't know about him, at least you came from a wizarding family! You-know-who, he was a dark wizard of terrible power who wrecked havoc 12 years ago with a bunch of followers known as death eaters. Many alumni from Slytherin joined his side during the battle, some think their allegiance still lies with him. He was defeated by a spell that backfired when he tried to use it on Harry. That's where the scar on his forehead came from." Hermione explained matter-of-factly.

With a wide-eyed expression, Eileen said, "I had no idea...so, Professor Snape was on his side once?"

"Some think he still is..."

"Well I don't, I have faith in him! He's a good man!" Eileen said a little louder than she'd wanted to. She heard Pince shuffling toward them and hissed, "You should have faith too and not believe everything people say." Quickly, she got up and hurried to the restricted section to return the book before the librarian could find her talking to Hermione. She felt that pang in her chest again and began to wonder herself whose side Snape would be on if that dark wizard hadn't fallen, he did seem distant from people and rarely appeared at social events unless required to. Worried, she went straight to the one person besides Snape himself that would give her some answers: Dumbledore.

Managing to guess his password correctly again, she went up the stairs in hopes that he was in and not busy. Upon knocking, she heard his greeting and opened the door to find him alone at his desk.

"Miss Pierce, to what do I owe the visit?" Dumbledore said with a glimmer in his eyes.

Looking around curiously, she said, "There...isn't anyone hiding in here this time, is there?"

"I see Snape admitted to his presence at our last meeting." Dumbledore said, waving her to a seat.

"Actually he didn't, but I figured he wasn't lying to me when he said you didn't tell him anything. He must have been in the room when we met." Eileen explained, cautiously taking a seat.

"Ah...it seems you're a more powerful Legilimens, Eileen, more so than Snape is at Occlumency, apparently. I don't think he's ever met his match in such a young person before." Dumbledore seemed impressed and Eileen looked confused.

"Legilimens? Occlumency? What are you talking about?" Eileen frowned.

"You were not taught any of this by your mother? It must be a natural talent then...very rare, Miss Pierce, with any training you could be quite lethal." Dumbledore mused.

"Is...is that bad? Being a...Legilimens?" Eileen began to worry and wonder what exactly it was anyway.

"Legilimency is the art of being able to read the emotions and thoughts of another person, to tell when they are lying or being truthful with you. Also, if used right, you can see into their minds and reveal past memories at random or see the last thing they thought about. Obviously you have a true talent for it if you're able to see through Snape's barriers. As such, the art of Occlumency is having the ability to clear your mind of all feeling and emotion so that no one can tell what you are thinking." Dumbledore explained methodically.

"So...even if professor Snape tried to lie to me, I can still tell because I'm more powerful than he is?" Eileen felt a rush of excitement; she could learn how to make sure no one ever lied to her again.

"Perhaps, it could be that he can't lie to you."

"Why can't he lie to me?"

"I believe that is a matter for another time. I believe you came here to ask me something else, Miss Pierce?" Dumbledore skillfully changed the subject and Eileen remembered why she came in the first place.

"Oh yes! I wanted to ask you something about professor Snape's past. I heard today that he was once working for a dark wizard called you-know-who, he wouldn't still be...on his side, would he?" Eileen looked nervously up at Dumbledore with hope in her eyes.

"It is true that Severus was once in league with Lord Voldemort, but I believe that he has indeed joined the side of good and trust him. Why did you not ask him this yourself?"

"Well...I was worried that he might think I was incriminating him and begin to distance himself from me again. I don't want to say anything to jeopardize the effort I put into getting closer to him."

Eileen looked sad and Dumbledore smiled, saying, "You've done a splendid job of it too, he definitely seemed happier than usual at Christmas. He might be even happier if someone were to remember his birthday."

"His...his birthday, sir? You know when it is?" Eileen blinked in surprise at the mention of such a private thing.

"I know the birthdays of all my students and staff, his is in three days, as a matter of fact."

"Three days? Oh, what can I give him? It's too late to make anything!" Eileen panicked.

"I think merely remembering and wishing him a happy birthday would suffice, though he may wonder how you knew about it." Dumbledore mused.

"You know, come to think of it, I think I remember mother telling me about one of his birthdays when she was in school. It didn't sound like he had a very happy birthday."

"Your mother knew him in school? I must have known her as well, what was her name?"

"Deirdra...Deirdra Pierce." Eileen looked at her lap.

"Ah, I remember her well...she was of Ravenclaw, always reading in the library and doing well in school. She was quite a promising student but nobody knew what became of her after graduation." He noted fondly.

"She met my father and had to marry him." She said simply.

"Had to?" He looked curious but finally said, "Ah, I see..."

"This doesn't really have anything to do with why I'm here either, sir. You seem very good at changing the subject, I should keep a better reign of my thoughts when around you." Eileen smiled coincidentally.

"Perhaps...I do have an idea of something that would guarantee he would have a good birthday, but I would have to give it to you."

"You don't mean Felix Felicis, do you?"

"Why yes, that's just what I was thinking about. You're very bright for your age, Miss Pierce." Dumbledore smiled.

"I'm grateful for your offer, sir, but I think I would very much like to give him something I made personally."

"Ah, a gift from the heart, not unlike your Christmas present."

"I...I guess so..." Eileen blushed and said, "But I don't know what would make him happy."

"Few people do know, but I'm sure it will come to you...you managed to do it once already." Dumbledore smiled and Eileen's spirits rose a little.

"Thank you for telling me this, sir. I'll get right to working on it! I hope I haven't inconvenienced you by coming unannounced."

"It's quite alright, I am more than happy to answer your queries. I wish you luck, Miss Pierce, and thank you for the lovely chat."

She bowed, crossed the room, and went out the door, thoughts filling her head as she pondered what to give her master for his birthday.

OoOoOoOo

For the next day, she spent most of the time thinking about how she could make Snape happy, this wasn't turning out to be an easy task. What was his favorite color? What kind of hobbies did he have? Did he even have a hobby? What was his favorite type of food? She wished she knew someone who could give her some clues but everyone that knew him wasn't fond of him in the slightest, they would probably suggest a lump of coal or something foul smelling. Finally, she decided to get hints from the man himself and put her natural Legilimens skills to the test.

It was sometime after class and she was sure he had went back to his office but further searching revealed he was rummaging around his store room of potion ingredients. Peeking around the door, she knocked lightly and said, "Professor?"

He was perched atop the highest rung of a ladder reaching for a bottle when he looked down in surprise, saying, "Yes? Oh, Miss Pierce, do you require something?"

"No, not really, I just had some free time and I noticed the store room was open so I came to investigate." She said innocently, smiling up at him.

Cocking an eyebrow, he said, "Did you now..."

"Yes, I know how particular you are about people being in here without your permission...are you taking inventory, sir?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. I've been finding some of my ingredients have been vanishing at random and it's getting annoying." Snape grumbled as he picked up the bottle he was reaching for and examined it closely to count the contents.

"That's a pity. Do you mind if I come in? I haven't seen so many ingredients before and would love to see them for real." Eileen's eyes sparkled hopefully and Snape sniffed, shrugging as he muttered, "If you wish..."

"Thank you, sir, I'll try to stay out of your way!" She slipped into the room and eased the door shut behind her, hovering around as she peered at row after row of bottles. She picked up an empty bottle and said, "Acromantula venom...you don't have any, sir?"

"No, I haven't been able to acquire any as of late and haven't had much use for it." Snape said dully as he plucked another jar off the shelf he was noting.

"I see...I read that it's hard to harvest."

"Indeed, it's best to collect right before the Acromantula dies, unless you're up for a wrestling match."

"Hmm..." She made a mental note and moved on down the rows until she found another empty bottle and read the label, "Runespoor eggs."

"I haven't had any of those in 10 years, the Runespoor is a protected species so no one can get their hands on any." Snape explained as he glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Oh." She put the jar back and continued her search. As she looked through the supplies of rare and uncommon ingredients, Snape slowly descended the ladder and watched her closely.

"Why are you here?" Snape finally inquired when she began to examine a container nearly empty.

"To learn." She answered simply, putting the container back and making another mental note.

"Learn what?"

"Things I can't learn from books, sir, I wanted to know what all these ingredients looked like in real life and not in a drawing or picture, in case I were to find it in the field." She smiled up at him and he returned his attention to the shelves.

"Is that so...I thought you said you were just passing by..." Snape seemed amused as she blushed and said quietly, "Well...I was passing by...looking for you."

"For me? Why?" Snape blinked curiously and seemed to forget what he was doing.

She tried not to reveal her true intentions and said quietly, "I...I missed you."

Snape seemed taken aback by this as he stared at her with wondering eyes.

"You...missed me? You were just in my class this morning, or weren't you aware of that?"

"Of course I was, I was sitting in the front row, sir."

"Then why do you miss me already?"

"I...I don't know..." She stared at the floor, she really wasn't sure why she missed him but she did, that much was true.

Snape stared at her for a moment before saying quietly, "You're welcome to come by and learn more if you ever...want to in the future."

"Really?" Eileen's eyes lit up and she stared into his with a renewed sense of happiness.

"As long as I'm present, of course, I don't let people into my store room without my supervision." Snape said sternly.

"Of course, I would be honored to learn from you, sir." Eileen smiled kindly and he softened his expression, glancing over his shoulder and walking to the door. He looked outside briefly before closing the door and turning back to Eileen and saying, "How much do you know about potions, Eileen?"

She was startled to hear him use her first name so casually; it almost seemed comforting to her as she responded shyly, "I...I've only learned 4 years of potions and some random higher levels that mother thought I should know. A lot of the potions in later years required more time and father had a habit of finding them before they were finished and disposed of them. I don't know how many polyjuice potions I've gone through over the years before I actually finished one...it was a good day, sir."

"So I assume your father did his best to hinder your learning then." Snape began to rummage through the shelves.

"Whenever he could, he thought it was a waste of time...did your parents encourage your learning?" Eileen asked curiously.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, suddenly she realized that the subject of his past was something he wasn't quite ready to discuss with her yet as she stuttered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, it wasn't my place."

"No...but I know how you...feel." He said slowly, staring at the shelves with a distant look on his face.

She began to get the feeling that when Dumbledore said Snape would understand more than she knew, he wasn't kidding.

"Oh...I won't inquire further." She smiled and asked, "Sir, can I ask you something?"

"Again?" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Well, yes...um...are students allowed to practice advanced magic during school? Or are they restricted to only studying what they're taught?"

"Normally it's frowned upon to learn ahead but you've already done that, now haven't you?"

"I suppose...I'm sorry, I just...I feel better when I'm learning new things, I don't have to think about...other stuff when I'm busy with schoolwork." She looked sadly at the floor and Snape's face eased into a calmer expression as he said, "That's why you work so hard on everything?"

"Yes, I don't want to show off, honest! That's why I tend to keep to myself about my knowledge...but I think I might have come off as such when I challenged Draco at the beginning of the year. Not many people like me..."

"Some people are simply intimidated by their superiors and use anger and hatred to feel better about themselves rather than trying harder." Snape said, turning back to the shelf.

"Mother said you liked to study too, she admired you for being such a hard worker and always getting good grades. I think that's why she worked so hard herself and pushed me to be all that I could be..." Eileen smiled to herself and Snape looked back at her again curiously.

"Your mother...was she a Slytherin?" He asked.

"Oh no, she was in Ravenclaw, always in the library." Eileen chuckled, "You probably never saw her without a book in her face."

"Same year?"

"She was a year below you."

"Ah...I probably didn't know her then." He said and went back to what he was doing.

"She never said that you two ever spoke to each other, she just...watched you."

"So I had a stalker?" Snape sounded amused and Eileen frowned, saying, "No, she didn't follow you around everywhere, just saw you in the halls and such..."

"She talked about me a lot, I take it." Snape walked over to a table set up nearby and scribbled on an unrolled parchment.

"Yes, as I said she was...fond of you."

"Yes, I remember you mentioning that..." Snape said quietly, rolling the parchment and pausing before stowing it in his cloak and turning his attention back to her, "My work is finished here, if you wish to continue our conversation you're welcome to join me in my office."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you! I actually do need to go and work on things; I have an essay to write for Professor Flitwick by tomorrow and haven't begun working on it. Thank you for allowing me access to your storeroom, I look forward to future sessions." She bowed and Snape smiled while she wasn't looking, saying, "Thank you for not ruining my organization with your perusing."

With a giggle, she smiled up at him and said, "I will see you tomorrow afternoon, sir! Have a good day!"

Running out of the room, she left Snape to stare after her with a somewhat strange feeling in his chest, like he too was beginning to miss her presence. But he wasn't about to admit that to anyone, not even himself.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Fourteen

It was the day before Snape's birthday and Eileen had purposefully gotten ahead in her work the night before so she would have plenty of time to do things during breaks. She got up early and prepared herself for the adventure to come, putting random objects into her bag that she was sure she'd need in her quest.

"I'll be back for you later this evening, Mephi, are you ready for a little fun for master?" She pet her kneazle affectionately and he meowed happily, the thought of getting out of her room seeming quite appealing to him. She said goodbye and set out to breakfast where she ate a full meal and got the cats breakfast as well.

After her morning class, instead of going to the library, she headed outside and found Hagrid tending to a small garden behind his cottage.

"Mr. Hagrid?" Eileen called out as she hurried across the field of snow, melting it with her wand as she went.

"Oi, Miss Pierce! What are yeh doin' out here in this weather?" Hagrid said as she came to a stop a few feet from him.

"I need to ask you something, do you know where I could get some unicorn hair? I heard that the forest has lots of things living in it, are there unicorns in there?" Eileen asked sharply, getting straight to business.

"Um...yes? You shouldn't be worryin' yerself about no creatures in there, it's no place fer yeh." Hagrid warned her.

"Of course, sir, but...I was wondering, would you happen to have any hair that I could have?"

"Couldn't yeh get it from Professor Snape?"

"Well, he's running low and...okay, perhaps I should explain. It's the professor's birthday tomorrow and - "

"Blimey, Snape's birthday? 'e's never said when 'is birthday was, never much liked ter celebrate anythin' with us." Hagrid sounded surprised as he walked toward her.

"Yes, and I wanted to get him a gift but something that would be useful to him. I figured the best thing I could do was get him some of the ingredients he's lacking, since he hasn't been able to get them himself."

"If the professor can't get 'em, it's sure yeh can't get yer hands on 'em. But unicorn hair I do 'ave, how much you reckon 'e needs?"

"As much as you're willing to spare?" She looked hopeful and he pondered this for a moment before saying, "Well, it would be a worthy cause, I suppose...I can get more later. Stay there an' I'll bring yeh some!" Hagrid entered his hut through the back door and came out a few minutes later with a small bundle, saying, "There yeh go, should last 'im a while."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Hagrid! And thank you again for the fur, it finished the coat off nicely." Eileen smiled gleefully.

"Aww, don't yeh mention it, it was my pleasure. Did 'e like it?" Hagrid blushed and scratched his great head of black hair.

"Very much so, but I never told him about everyone's contributions..." Eileen looked sheepish.

"I think it's better that way, 'e might 'ave been a bit shy if 'e knew we were in on it." Hagrid mused.

"Most likely. You must know a lot about these woods, what exactly lives in there?" Eileen looked at the trees skirting the field of snow, an ominous darkness shrouding the forest a few feet in.

"Oh, all sorts o' dangerous creatures. There be wolves, centaurs, unicorns, all sorts o' creatures that yeh don' want ter mess with."

"Are there any Acromantulas in there?" She asked curiously.

He looked at her with a look of shock before stuttering, "W-where would yeh get an idea like that? Don' be silly, how would they get there?"

"I was just curious, I saw that professor was out of Acromantula venom, he said it was hard to get."

"Sure is, yeh got ter fight 'em, see? Collect the venom from their fangs, hard to manage a large spider unless yeh put it down an' that's hard enough. They're only vulnerable on their underside so yeh got ter wait until they're practically on top o' yeh. Most people kill 'em cause they're too lazy to work fer it, shame really..." Hagrid rambled on passionately and Eileen drank in every bit of his instructions before saying, "You wouldn't happen to have come across any Runespoor eggs, would you?"

"Uh..." Hagrid looked nervous and Eileen knew immediately that Hagrid must have a lot of things he shouldn't have, including an Acromantula somewhere in the forest that she was determined to find later.

"Aren't they protected, Mr. Hagrid? How did you get them?" Eileen watched him closely, hoping to wheedle a few out of him if she could.

"I...what makes yeh think I 'ave any?" Hagrid stuttered.

"You're nervous, innocent people aren't nervous." Eileen smirked and said, "I won't tell anyone that you had them if you give them to me as another gift to Snape, he'll keep them safe in his storeroom."

"I'm not givin' 'em ter no firs' year! That's illegal!" Hagrid argued before realizing he had admitted to owning them, "Uh...not that...I 'ave any...that is..."

"I don't think the headmaster would be very happy about you doing illegal things, Mr. Hagrid, he seems rather fond of you and I would hate to see you get in trouble. I rather like having you around, you're a very nice person and quite gifted with wildlife." Eileen threw some flattery into the mix and it seemed to work pretty well.

"Well...I don' want ter disappoint Dumbledore none..." He thought it over for a minute before saying, "Alrigh', but don' yeh go sayin' where yeh got em."

"I promise." She smiled again, growing fond of her skill of manipulation.

He returned to his cabin and came back with an unmarked ceramic jar, saying, "Be careful with 'em, don' go runnin' round with 'em in the halls!"

"Of course not, sir, I'll go straight to my room and lock them in my trunk, Mephistopheles will keep a close eye on them! Thank you so much, I'm in your debt!" She cheered as she stowed the newly acquired ingredients in her bag.

"Just promise me yeh won' tell anyone about this..." Hagrid looked cross that a first year had managed to outwit him.

"I promise, it'll be our little secret. I'll make it up to you later, good day, sir!" She ran off quickly to stow away part of Snape's surprise present, eager to begin work on collecting the rest of it. Three ingredients should be enough, it would certainly make a handsome gift and she could hardly wait to give it to him.

That evening she put on her warmest clothing and stowed supplies into her backpack, gathering Mephistopheles before hurrying out of the room and down through the common room. It was pretty empty so no one took notice of her leaving with her cat, which was just how she liked it. She made for the out of doors and blasted a path through the sea of snow hindering her journey.

"Get inside the scarf, Mephi, it's really cold out here." Eileen whispered to him and helped him huddle within the folds of the mossy green scarf Snape had given her. His tail wrapped loosely around her as she fought onward through the ensuing blizzard, making it to the shelter of the forest a few minutes later and setting out through the darkness without the aid of light. She let Mephistopheles be her judgment of whether it was still safe, his ears perking at the slightest sounds.

It was several minutes before they heard anything and she felt claws sinking into her shoulder as a growl drifted from the scarf. She froze, listening intently to hear what her cat was hearing but nothing came to her but the low hum of the snowstorm.

"You are not welcome, human..." Out of the darkness came the figure of a pale man, but what followed was the body of a palomino horse where his legs should have been. He glared at her with shimmering blue eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness like her own, a bow in hand and a hunters glint in his eyes as she stared back without fear.

Dipping in a gracious curtsy, she said, "Please pardon my intrusion, noble centaur, I was merely on a quest."

"A young fowl on its own in a dangerous forest? One would assume you were up to no good." The centaur took her display of respect as a signal to put his weapon away as he slung the bow over his shoulder.

"I am indeed going against the laws of my school but I must complete my quest, it is of the utmost importance. I promise it will not interfere with you or your kind, I merely wish to retrieve something and return to the school without causing trouble for anyone."

"What is it you seek, little one?" The centaur tossed his white blond hair and watched her closely, sounding curious in her reasoning for such bold and reckless actions.

"The venom of an Acromantula, sir." She said boldly, standing to her fullest height that still barely came up to his navel.

"You are a reckless human, do you wish to die?" He asked, sounding amused by her statement.

"I have no such desire to die, I have complete confidence in my abilities and wish only to retrieve enough to satisfy my master."

"You are the slave of a human? This is unheard of...at least in the wizarding realms."

"No, I...it's just what I call him sometimes. It's a gift for him, it is his birthday tomorrow and I wanted to give him sometime rare to show him my determination and devotion."

"Then you are his slave, why else would you wish to please him?" He eyed her and she began to look agitated, "Very well, if you wish to commit such a perilous act I am not one to stop you as it is the way of the centaurs not to interfere with humans. Likewise I will not assist you in your quest so if you do come to danger..."

"I am quite aware of the risk, Mr. Centaur, you need not concern yourself with my well being. Do I have your permission to pass and continue my search?"

"You need not look far, they reside 150 feet to your right and often wander in this direction in search of morsels such as yourself. I do warn you, they hunt in groups. Not that I am helping you, it's in the best interests of my kind that you not invade further."

"Of course. Thank you for your wise guidance, I will not bother you further. Good evening to you, kind centaur." She bowed again and the centaur nodded to her, saying, "My name is Firenze, and it would be best not to mention our meeting to any other centaurs you may cross paths with. My kind are not fond of yours but you are an honorable exception to the rude and pompous humans we are used to, you have the dignity to know when you've met a superior."

"Of course, sir Firenze, I wouldn't wish to be discourteous to the lords of the forest when I am the intruder in your realm."

He nodded and they went their separate ways, Eileen taking the direction instructed for her by Firenze and stepping lightly as to not alert her prey of her presence.

All was quiet, the forest was calm and seemed to be waiting for her to step into its trap, but she was setting her own trap. Mephistopheles growled again and she whispered, "It's time."

Flying out from her scarf, the kneazle ran up a tree next to her and the branches above rustled wildly, echoing with the mixed growls and cries of an unseen predator. Moving swiftly, she dodged to the right like a bolt of lightning and narrowly missed being tackled by a rather large spider.

Mephistopheles was bounding around its back, avoiding its attempts to dislodged him and perhaps eat him out of spite.

Eyes locked onto her prey, she ran in front of it and whipped out a phial of clear liquid which she threw violently at the ground just inches from the Acromantulas head. An explosion of flames scared the monstrous beast into rearing back just enough to reveal its tender underside. With the reflexes of a falcon onto its quarry, Eileen waved her wand at it, a blast of white light bathing the creature momentarily. With a groan, it fell back onto its back with a great thud, stiff as a board.

Eileen wasted no time waiting for company as she ran around to its head and pulled an empty phial from her bag, extracting as much as she could from the creatures fangs before Mephistopheles growled again and she saw him staring behind her. Spinning around, she found the forest alive with startling red lights glimmering in the darkness, thousands of them moving closer to her location.

"It appears we've worn out our welcome, Mephi, come!" He leapt deftly onto her shoulder and she broke into a flat out run, waving bushes out of her way as she searched for the path out of the woods.

The deafening thunder of thousands of feet gaining on her made it hard to concentrate as her heart raced madly in her chest, the cats claws sinking painfully into her shoulder blade.

She turned a sharp corner and barely fell in time to avoid being tackled by a spider leaping over her head, crawling to her feet and waving her wand fiercely in the direction of the spiders. With a brilliant flash, the forest seemed to explode into flames and the spiders screamed insanely, scrambling over each other to get away from it. As Eileen tore away from there, the spell vanished and revealed itself as merely an illusion, infuriating the Acromantulas into a crazed stampede.

Finding herself suddenly in over her head, she wished she'd been a little quieter about her business in the forest and dared not return again for quite a while. Spiders leapt at her and she flung them back into the oncoming rush where they hindered their progress, but did not slow them enough. One foul stumble and a spider was upon her, pinning her to the ground under its weight.

"NO, MASTER!" Eileen screamed and the entire forest seemed to quake with her piercing cry, frightening the spiders as several of them fell over in pain, writhing desperately. The spider atop her quickly retreated when cuts began to appear on its body but it was too late, within seconds its legs gave out from under it as if something was physically ripping them from its body. Eileen was too terrified to move until the thump of hooves thundered up next to her. Looking up, she stared into the startled eyes of Firenze.

"Give me your hand, child!" Firenze shouted over the screams of the spiders and she didn't hesitate to reach up. Firenze pulled her onto his back and took off at a gallop, racing toward the light of the school grounds and stopping just beyond the edge of the undergrowth. Eileen leapt down and Firenze said furiously, "You are a demon child, such power is dangerous even to yourself! Do not enter this forest again, you are not ready for the challenges that lay before you."

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened!" Eileen gasped, realizing just how far she had gone this time.

"That is why you must not come here again, you know not what you are capable of. Remember this day and heed my warning, they will be back for revenge if you trespass upon their territory again. Go now, before you are spotted in this late hour." Firenze motioned to the sky and Eileen realized it was almost curfew. Just how long had she been in there battling the Acromantulas?

"Thank you, sir Firenze, goodbye!" Eileen sputtered quickly before running through the snow, staining the pure white blanket with the blood of the spider she had killed. Her body shook with the terror of nearly slaughtering a whole herd of spiders, just how many had she murdered out of fear? Tears filled her eyes, her powers were growing more and more intense by the day and she didn't know what to do about it. She was afraid, she couldn't leave because her father would eventually find her and she couldn't stay because she put everyone's lives in danger anytime she was upset. A pain in her side began to throb dully as the cold snow stung through her robes and she looked down to see a rip in the material.

"It must have gotten me, I got careless...better hurry, Mephi..." Eileen muttered, trudging on through the snowstorm as the wind whipped wildly around her. Finally, she reached the school and trudged through the hallways, dropping piles of snow and ice as she staggered toward the dungeons. Just as she reached the stairs, two bodies nearly collided with her and she fell backward onto her side.

"Augh, it's a teacher!" A familiar voice yelped beside her.

"No, it's...it's Eileen!" Someone stooped to help her up and she stared into the surprised green eyes of her friend Harry.

"Blimey, Eileen, what are you doing out here? Nevermind that, you never saw us!" Ron dusted some stray snow off her cloak and gave her a panicky thumbs up.

"As long as you never saw me, I don't know what you're talking about." Eileen sighed, her heart racing after fearing being caught out so late.

"Fair game, see ya later then!" Harry whispered and he and Ron took off at a run down the hallway to the stairs leading to the second floor.

Not really wishing to know why they had been in the dungeons, Eileen made her way to the Slytherin common room and spoke the password, entering to find Draco sitting on the couch lazily fiddling with something that obviously wasn't his.

He looked up at her as she entered and grinned mischievously, saying, "Looks like you got pelted by snowballs, pity I wasn't there to join in."

"Yes...such a pity." Eileen mumbled as she went straight to the stairs of the girls' dormitory. She didn't want to speak to anyone, she just wanted to get dry and tend to her wounds. But upon entering her room, she found a letter laying on her bed addressed to her with no return address. Mephistopheles leapt down as she took her scarf off and stared at the letter. Sitting on the bed next to her pet, she carefully opened the envelope and read it slowly, her eyes widening as she went down the page and read:

I know where you are, Eileen, you can't hide forever.

If you don't come to me now, I'll just wait, you can't stay there all year.

There's no point in pretending you're safe from me.

Your master's very angry with you.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Fifteen

Eileen did not sleep that night, the words of the letter consumed her thoughts and anytime she closed her eyes, her father was coming at her trying to hurt her. Blinking her bloodshot eyes, she got up drearily and dressed in dry robes, completely forgetting about her aching side as she got her books for the day and headed down to breakfast. She barely ate, sitting alone at the Slytherin table and ignoring anyone whom spoke to her or tried to poke fun at her tattered scarf matted with twigs. Nothing seemed to break through her trance that day, not until her potions class that afternoon where she sat in the front as usual but stared blankly at the bubbling cauldron before her.

"The potion won't make itself, Miss Pierce." Snape stared down at her but she didn't respond. Resting his hands on the desk, he leaned over and was inches from her face when he said, "Your desk's on fire."

Still she stared blankly at the slowly congealing substance before her and he frowned before snapping his fingers in her face. She blinked in surprise and looked up into his face as if she'd just realized she was in class.

"Oh! Um..." She stammered and began to blush when she saw the mess of a project she'd forgotten.

"You'll stay after class to clean up this mess by hand, Miss Pierce. Perhaps next time you won't have flights of fancy during my lesson." Snape snarled harshly, sounding like he was in a fouler mood than usual.

Then she remembered and let out a gasp of horror, she'd completely forgotten about his birthday and his presents were still locked safely in her trunk.

"Yes, it is disgusting, isn't it? At least you didn't have to watch it come to life." Snape grumbled before the bell rang, "Class dismissed."

The room quickly emptied as the cauldron began to let off a sickening smell that caused several students to stumble on their way out.

Quickly putting the fire out, Eileen fanned the pot and wrinkled her nose at the stench stinging her nostrils, her eyes beginning to water.

"I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't mean to make such a mess of things!" Eileen moaned, carrying the cauldron to the sink and trying to scrub it out.

Snape watched her momentarily before saying quietly, "You're not yourself today, Miss Pierce."

"No..." She nearly spaced out again but snapped back and scrubbed harder.

Walking toward her, he said, "Why."

Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the letter, handing it to him before returning to her work.

He read it over briefly before realizing what it meant, saying, "It's most likely a joke by one of the students."

"No one knows about my life except a few teachers, besides...it's his handwriting."

"I thought your father was a Muggle, how would he know to use an owl?" Snape frowned, watching her rinse the cauldron clean.

"He's been searching for me for years, I'm sure he remembered overhearing my mother several times talking about Hogwarts and magic. He's not a fool, my father...he can manage anything he puts his mind to and always found stuff we hid." She said quietly, checking her work to make sure it was clean.

"He is a fool and he's not your master anymore." Snape growled, wrinkling the letter in his hand as he clenched it tightly.

"You...you don't know him, sir, he won't stop. If I go back this summer, he'll...he'll be waiting for me! I can't run anymore! It's over" Eileen sank to the floor as her legs gave out, clinging to the edge of the sink with her shaky hands.

Snape knelt next to her and said, "Stop this, you are in no danger. You are a witch, his superior! You could run circles around him and he couldn't lay a finger on you!"

"I can't use magic outside Hogwarts, you know that! I would be defenseless, weak..." Her voice wavered and she stared fearfully at the floor.

"You are not weak! Listen to me, Eileen - " Snape tried to reason with her but she suddenly turned her teary eyes on him, whispering, "Look at me, sir...do you honestly think I can defend myself against a fully grown man without my magic? It's his life, his job, to find people...even if I managed to outwit him at the train station he'd have all summer to find me...I'm not as strong as you are, sir, I can't face him alone..."

Snape's expression fell into a look of concern as he said softly, "You're not alone, Eileen, you are never alone."

"Sir..." She blinked and gasped, saying, "Oh no, I almost forgot again! I'll be right back, sir!" Jumping to her feet, she ran from the room and Snape stared after her with a look of confusion, getting to his own feet and staring at the cauldron in the sink.

He carried it back to her desk and dried it as he waited for her to return, seeming to sink into his own trance until she came tearing back into the room panting and carrying a badly wrapped package. Blinking in wonder, he watched as she held it out to him and said with a wide smile, "Happy Birthday, sir!"

"What...how did you...who told you?" Snape gingerly took the present and stared at it in surprise as if he'd never seen something so bizarre in his life.

"A little birdie told me, open it!" She beamed proudly and he slowly unwrapped it to reveal the collection of ingredients she had gathered.

He examined the small mound of unicorn hair curiously then stared in amazement at the phials of venom before saying, "Is this..."

"Acromantula venom! Four phials should keep you supplied for a while." She sounded very proud of her work and he stared at her momentarily before opening the jar.

With a look of disbelief, he whispered, "Runespoor eggs?"

"I figured since they're technically illegal to have, I should give them to you so no one gets in trouble." Eileen noted.

"Where did you get these? And so many, there must be at least 50 in here!" Snape exclaimed wildly.

"They fell off a tree that wishes to remain anonymous?" Eileen grinned sheepishly and toed the floor.

He could barely speak, the effort and swindling he guessed she had put into collecting these for him were beyond anything he would have bothered to manage himself. Setting the treasure troth carefully on his desk, he turned to her and said, "Tell me where you got it all."

"Well, I got the unicorn hair from Hagrid cause he collects it in the woods for some reason, I harvested the venom myself - " She explained simply as if she'd gone to the grocery store.

"YOU WHAT?" Snape shouted, his eyes wider than ever.

"Oh...um...maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that." Eileen scratched at her cheek and looked awkward as Snape just stared at her.

Suddenly, he grabbed her and said, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!"

"But I wasn't." She replied simply, looking a little nervous.

"It doesn't matter! Did you get hurt?"

"Oh, uh...I think I may have..."

"You think? YOU THINK? Show me!" Snape exclaimed.

Blushing, she shrugged her robes off and pulled her shirt up to reveal the swelling gash in her side, purplish veins growing all around it.

"Is it bad?" She asked, wincing as he stared at it in shock.

"I don't know why you're not dead yet, hold still!" He pulled something out of his robe and knelt in front of her, opening the container and sticking his finger into it. Gently, he dabbed the substance on the cut and she held back a whimper, searing pain shooting through her side and causing a nauseated feeling in her stomach. He continued to treat the wound before her legs crumpled like jelly under her weight and she fell against him. Catching her, he felt her forehead and said, "You have a fever, I should take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No please, they'll...they'll ask how it happened, sir..." She gasped, clutching at his robes desperately and staring into his eyes fearfully. He grimaced as she whispered, "Please...I just wanted to give you a happy birthday, sir..."

"Eileen..." He began to look like he felt it was his fault this happened and she said, "It was my choice! I wanted to do it, I just got careless on the way back. I'll be okay, I just need to heal myself."

"No, you're in no condition to do anything, just stay still." Snape hissed and shifted her into his left arm, beginning to apply the ointment to her wound again with great care.

She winced, shaking slightly from the fever and pain, trying not to complain as the purple slowly faded and the swelling went down.

Healing the gash with his wand, he stowed the container back inside his robe and said, "Your wound is healed but you still have a fever, it's safe to go to the hospital wing now...just tell her you were up all night studying."

"I'm sorry I ruined your birthday, sir, I feel so terrible about it..." She muttered, clutching at his robes and hiding her face in his shoulder.

"You didn't, Eileen...the gift was very...thoughtful. Reckless, foolish maybe, but thoughtful." Snape reassured her softly.

"Then...you liked it?" She stared at him wearily and he said tenderly, "Yes."

"I'm glad..." She sighed happily and relaxed as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Watching her doze, he let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed her robe, placing it back on her body to keep her warm. Sweeping her up into his arms, he waved his wand casually in the direction of his presents, sending them to a cabinet and locking them inside for safe keeping until he could get back and put them in the store room. He walked slowly across the room to the door and with a wave of his wand, opened it and stepped out into the hallway. It was thankfully class time so no one was around to see him carrying her to the hospital wing.

Upon entering, Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, "Not another one!"

"No, Pomfrey, she just has a fever." Snape sighed as he laid her down on one of the beds.

"Thank goodness, I don't think I could bare to see poor Eileen like this too!" Pomfrey motioned to a boy who was lying frozen on a bed nearby, a look of surprise on his face.

Snape didn't acknowledge his presence as he hovered next to Eileen's bed and waited for Pomfrey to work her magic, staring intently at her as if expecting her to open her eyes any minute now and smile up at him. Giving him a quick glance, Pomfrey opened a phial of greenish liquid and poured it gingerly into Eileen's mouth, causing her to sputter and cough.

"Drink it, dear, you'll feel better." Pomfrey instructed her, holding her head aloft as she drank the rest of the mixture slowly.

Lying back down, she grimaced briefly before blinking her eyes and staring up at Snape's charcoal orbs.

"How are you feeling, Miss Pierce?" Snape asked.

"Much better, sir...thank you..." Eileen reached for his hand but he withdrew it into his robes, saying quickly, "Good, once you've fully recovered you can retrieve your things from my classroom and explain to your teachers why you were absent. Good day, Miss Pierce."

Turning sharply, he started for the door and Eileen sat upright, shouting, "Sir, wait!"

"I said good day, Miss Pierce..." Snape hissed back at her, leaving the room abruptly.

"Good day..." Eileen whispered, confused and feeling let down.

Pomfrey swept over to her and patted her hand, saying, "Give him time, dear, he's coming around."

"He was so cold, I don't understand...he's been opening up to me lately, why did he - " Eileen laid down again looking frustrated and Pomfrey smiled, saying, "Pull away?"

"Yes..."

"Because you weren't alone, I think..." She whispered and Eileen understood. Snape would only treat her kindly when they were alone, why hadn't she realized this by now?

"I guess I should have known better." She sighed, feeling flush with embarrassment.

"It's okay, at least he's opening up to you in private, right? That's always a good sign, just be patient and he'll come around." Pomfrey smiled, "I'm glad you two are getting along, at least! No more crying..."

"I suppose you're right...thank you, Poppy."

"Don't worry yourself, just get to class before you're in too much trouble. Here, give them this note from me and they'll excuse you." Pomfrey handed her a note as she sat up and swept off to tend to other things.

Slipping off the bed, she made her way out of the hospital to the dungeons again to get her book bag. Just as she touched the knob to open the door, she heard a crash and froze, hearing random swear words drift out of the room from an extremely frustrated source. Leaning close to listen to the person on the other side, they seemed to be talking to an empty room as they muttered, "What's wrong with me...why did I pull away? Damn it all!"

Something else broke and silence fell over the room, the pounding of her own heart filling her thoughts as she realized who was speaking. Cautiously, she waited for a moment before opening the door and peeking inside. A mess of broken glass was strewn on the desks and random potions oozed down the stone wall opposite a hunched figure leaning heavily on the front desk. Eileen tried to sneak in unnoticed, her legs reluctantly carrying her into the room.

Turning sharply, Snape stared at her in surprised shock before waving his wand and cleaning up the mess he had made.

Hurrying forward, she grabbed her bag and began to run for the door when Snape called out, "Eileen, wait!"

But her fear got the better of her and she kept going out the door and tore down the hallway, trying to block him out even as his voice echoed down the corridor after her. All she knew was he was angry and it scared her when he was like that, she didn't want to loose control and risk hurting him again. Tears falling of their own free will, she broke out into the crowded halls just as students headed to the great hall for dinner. But she didn't join them as she dashed out the front doors and ran across the snowy grounds toward the front gates, desperate to keep running and never look back. She stopped short of the gate, waving her wand at it and chanting various charms to lower the defense barrier set on the entrance. Successfully disarming the barrier, she struggled with the lock hindering her escape and crying uncontrollably.

Just as she managed to magic it off, footsteps echoed behind her and she looked back to see the black robes of the professor flying through the air as he ran after her.

Panicking, she pushed the gate open with all her might and squeezed through, running down the gravel road with Snape gaining swiftly. Desperately, she began to think of leaving Hogwarts forever, escaping Snape's wrath, and wished with all her might to be far from him before turning and vanishing on the spot.

"Eileen, NO!" Snape yelled, his eyes wide with fright, realizing with horror that not only had she managed to escape the school, she had disapparated to some location he knew not of.

OoOoOoOo

Opening her eyes, Eileen found herself standing on the Hogsmeade train station platform where she had first started her journey to Hogwarts. Bewildered, she started walking along the wooden platform looking at the surrounding town in wonder, not remembering seeing it before. But then she remembered that she wasn't exactly in a sightseeing mood at the beginning of the year and decided now was as good a time as any to explore. Stepping off the platform, she followed a cobblestone path to the Town Square where random witches and wizards roamed together in huddles against the cold.

The snow flurry that had tore across the area the previous night had settled and the sky was finally clearing up, light flecks of snow still falling on the residences like a snow globe. Looking up and down the street, she saw a store with displays full of candy and decided to start her roaming there out of the chilly air.

Stepping inside, she was greeted by a jolly man who said, "Well, aren't you a bit young to be out shopping on your own, little girl?"

"My father said I could come in while he went shopping, he's buying boring stuff." She lied skillfully, hiding her school uniform beneath her cloak and scarf.

The man chuckled, saying, "Is that so...well, if ya see anything you like just tell me."

"Thank you, sir." She bowed and moved around the room, perusing the shelves and examining strange looking treats curiously. After spending a few moments reading the back of a box of every flavor beans, she glanced out the window to see Snape looking into a store across the street.

"Oh no..." She gasped before turning to the shop owner and saying, "I see my father, I must go. Good day, sir!"

Dashing quietly out the door, she ran the opposite direction and sought shelter behind a pile of barrels outside a tavern. She watched him cautiously as he seemed to frantically dart from shop to shop looking for her. Finally, he went to the candy shop and she knew the owner would tell him she came in this direction. Not wishing to be caught, she ran on down the street and followed a winding trail out of the town.

Trees began to encompass the path and she slowed to a quick stroll, taking in her surroundings so as to not get lost. A fence ran along her left side and she stopped next to it, looking out over the mountainous tundra with a sigh, wishing she could disappear into the forests covering it. With a swift jump, she climbed over the fence and began to journey across the powdered field awaiting her exploration but cut the fun short when she heard footsteps quickly approaching. Not bothering to see who it was, she broke into a run as a voice called out, "Eileen, come back!"

"No, stay away!" She screamed back and kept running for the mountains. A spell flew at her but she repelled it and didn't stop, repelling several other attempts to hinder her escape until Snape apparated in front of her. Stumbling in surprise, she retreated quickly, saying, "Stop following me!"

"Would you please stop running then?" Snape asked in an exhausted tone, a look of concern on his face.

"I can't, you don't understand...you're angry, I can't be near you, I'll...I'll hurt you!" She wiped tears from her face and backed away further as he slowly advanced on her.

"Eileen, I'm not mad at you!" Snape exclaimed.

"Then why are you yelling!" Eileen cried, stumbling over a root hidden beneath the snow and falling backwards.

"I...I don't know..." He looked more exhausted then before and his eyes begged her to stop running. She paused and watched him cautiously as he said, "Eileen, I wasn't mad at you."

"Then why did you break my present?" She sobbed, inching her feet through the snow as she sat awkwardly.

"What? No, that wasn't your...look, your gift is safe, I promise." Snape tried to explain.

"Then...why?" Her mind was reeling by now, shivering as tears fell down her cheeks.

Snape stared at her for a moment before trying to approach her but she suddenly screamed, "Stay away!"

"Eileen, don't do this!"

"I can't...I can't control it, these powers...I'll rip you apart just like those spiders! I don't want to kill you!"

"Eileen..." He knelt down several feet from her and whispered, "Calm yourself, you can do it."

"No, I'll hurt you..." She anguished, pulling her legs up into her chest and rocking slightly as she hugged herself tightly in an attempt to make her heart stop pounding.

"Listen to me, I'm not mad at you...you don't have anything to fear..."

"It's too late, I can't stop it now!"

"You can do anything you put your mind to, Eileen. You've overcome so much in your life, don't give up now...not because of me."

"You're...you're ashamed of me." Her heart wrenched inside her and she began to cry harder, unable to stand the pain anymore.

"No! I'm ashamed of myself! I keep pushing you away when you turn to me for help, I...I'm sorry..." Hanging his head, he stared at his lap in dejection, each sob from her lips piercing his heart like a dagger.

Eileen looked up at him in surprise, unable to comprehend his confession.

He looked into her eyes, full of regret as he whispered, "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Sir..."

He remained crouched in the snow, staring at her with angst in his eyes as he waited for her to react.

Slowly, she crawled toward him and stopped short, whispering, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Neither do I." He replied, holding his hand out to her.

Gingerly, she put her hand into his and he pulled her into his arms, to her surprise. Slowly sinking into his embrace, she gripped his robes and sobbed, "Don't let him find me, please sir, I'm so scared!"

"I won't let him touch you, not again...never again." Snape pulled her closer and wrapped his robes around her, cradling her shivering form in his arms protectively, "I promise."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Sixteen

Snape and Eileen walked slowly down the road back to Hogwarts, neither wishing to return very soon as the soft whistle of the breeze rustling their robes filled the silence. Looking up, Eileen said quietly, "Sir?"

"Yes, Miss Pierce?" Snape met her gaze and she looked worried as she said, "Have you had a good birthday?"

"It was memorable." He admitted.

"I'm sorry I ran away, I was just..."

"Miss Pierce, you're just a child, it isn't necessary for you to act mature all the time."

"But I want to be mature! I don't want to be a child anymore, I hate not being able to handle things like an adult." Eileen frowned and Snape smiled, saying, "I know quite a few adults that aren't as mature as you are."

"Really?"

"Yes, some even work in our government..." Snape began to think about the Ministry of Magic officials when he felt an icy hand slip into his and looked down curiously.

"Is it okay if I hold your hand?" She asked cautiously.

His normally harsh features softened as he nodded, a little awkward but conceding to her touch.

"Thank you, sir...I promise not to do it in public if you don't want me to." She gazed up wistfully at the darkening sky as they strolled along the cobblestone path, getting closer to the school.

"Eileen, I..." Snape frowned but she said, "It's okay, I understand. It's not appropriate for a student to have a relationship of any kind with a teacher, plus the other Slytherins would tease me to no end."

"Is that so?" Snape watched her curiously.

"Yes, I don't want to make things awkward for you, sir."

"It's...not awkward..."

"No?" She looked over at him with her blue eyes full of life.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he said quietly and stiffly, "I...haven't had anyone I've wanted to care for in a long time."

"Oh...wait, you...you care about me?" She stopped and stared in amazement.

Frowning, Snape said, "Why would I run halfway across the school and follow you through Hogsmeade if I didn't care!"

"Well, uh...I'm not sure." She looked perplexed and Snape rolled his eyes, saying, "I thought you were smarter than that, Eileen."

"I am, sir, but I find myself lacking common knowledge. I'm trying to learn! I just...I don't really know what it's like to be cared for...not by a man, at least." Her voice trailed off.

Snape knelt in front of her, taking her arms gently yet firmly in his hands and looking up into her sad face, saying sternly, "I refuse to be like your father, Eileen. Don't compare me to him or call me your master ever again, do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir..." She replied, fidgeting awkwardly.

"And...call me Severus when we're alone..." He whispered.

"Oh no, I couldn't! You're a teacher!" She gasped.

"Not when it's just you and I, unless you don't want me to use your first name."

"That's...your choice..." She blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Then it's only fair to use my first name, don't make me resort to giving you detention for disobeying a teacher's request!"

Smiling, she whispered, "Okay...Severus."

"Good. Now, school's over and done with for the day and I'm sure your teachers are wondering where you've been."

"Oh, I have a note from Madam Pomfrey excusing me, see?" She pulled the note out of her pocket and he examined it closely.

"How considerate of her, then take that to them and return to my store room when you're done."

"Sir?"

"Just do as I say, you argue far too much these days."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"Eileen..." He glared at her and she squeaked, saying quickly, "Severus! Sorry..."

He smirked and stood up again, saying, "You apologize a lot."

"Mother said I should be courteous to those I care about."

"Care about, eh?" Snape sounded more amused than shocked and she blushed, muttering, "Yeah...I guess so..."

"You don't know?"

"Not really, this is all new to me..." She looked clueless.

Snape sighed, walking on as he muttered, "It's not like I'm use to people actually liking me, I'm the bad nasty potions master that everyone despises. Why did you take to me in the first place? I wasn't nice to you at all..."

"I'm not sure, I think I was still instinctively doing as I was told and you did remind me of my father..."

"Do I still remind you of him?" Snape glanced down, a look of annoyance on his face.

She gasped, saying quickly, "No, of course not! My father would never give me a present or take care of me or comfort me! He...he hated me..."

"And I don't hate you, so obviously your father and I have nothing in common." He almost sounded like his statement was more for his own reassurance than hers but she didn't think too much of it.

They stopped in front of the school gates and she looked in at the front doors sadly, reluctant to pass through it.

As Snape undid the lock again, he glanced over at her and said, "You're welcome to come to my office whenever you like, Eileen...even if you just...miss me."

"Really?"

"No."

"Okay..."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Oh. So...I can come?"

"Yes." Snape chuckled and she smiled happily.

Pushing the gate open, he waved her in and she scampered inside the grounds, waiting for him to lock back up.

"I got this part." Eileen smirked as she waved her wand and reactivated the barrier on the gate.

Admiring her work, Snape remarked, "How did you know how to cancel Flitwick's defense charms? His magic is quite advanced, far beyond the magic we teach."

"I don't know, I was reading about some spells in the restricted sect-uh..." She scratched her head as he narrowed his eyes at her, chuckling nervously, "It...just came to me?"

"I'm sure..." He mused, turning to head inside.

As they walked together toward the front doors, she said, "So...it's back to the official stuff now?"

"Yes, Miss Pierce." He replied in his usual serious tone and she returned it, saying, "Then I look forward to our private time, professor Snape."

"Oh and...be careful walking around alone these days, try not to go outside by yourself." Snape suddenly commented and Eileen became worried.

"Why? My father can't come here, can he?" Eileen whispered.

"No, there are special spells that repel Muggles who come anywhere near this place, he couldn't come here even if he tried." Snape replied confidently.

"Good." She sighed with relief, comforted with the knowledge that she at least had one safe place to reside in where her father could not go.

Opening the door, they entered to find dinner underway and went their separate ways to join the feast.

She sat next to George who smiled over at her, saying, "Alright, Eileen? Haven't seen you all day!"

"Oh, I got sick...stayed up too late studying." She lied casually, still thinking about Snape's warning as she piled food onto her plate. Who could pose a danger to her if not her father?

"Blimey, you're worse than Hermione!" Ron exclaimed before being elbowed in the side by said person.

"What do you have to study? You already know everything, don't you?" Fred asked, eyeing her curiously.

"I know most of the curriculum but the library's full of things I don't know." Eileen smiled and the group just looked at her incredulously.

Harry glanced up at the table and saw that Snape was actually talking to McGonagall casually.

"What's up with Snape? He somehow seems...happy." Harry frowned and turned his attention to Eileen.

"Snape's happy? Did someone die?" Ron gawked at him and they all seemed rather amazed that he was being sociable.

"Well, um...it is his...birthday." Eileen muttered and all heads whirled around to stare at her.

"WHAT?" They said in unison and she blushed as she waved them off, saying, "Shh! Oh, I shouldn't have told you!"

"Blimey, I thought he just hated Christmas, that explains it! But...why is he happy? Wouldn't he curse the day he was brought into the world cause his life sucks so much?" Ron mused.

"Ooo, maybe someone gave him a birthday gift." George grinned at Eileen and she continued to blush, hiding her face behind the pumpkin juice container as she poured out a glass sloppily.

"What did you get him this time that's made him so happy?" Harry asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Nothing important...oh no! I didn't feed Mephi today! Oooooh..." Eileen scrambled to grab some food before leaping to her feet and running out of the great hall, leaving quite a few people whispering after her. Racing up to the common room, she broke into the bedroom and searched for her cat.

"Mephi, I'm sorry I forgot to feed you! Come out, I brought you a big yummy turkey leg! Mephi?" Eileen looked everywhere: under her bed, in the trunk, in the dresser, behind the door, and anywhere else he could fit. He wasn't there.

Beth walked into the room just then and Eileen ran over to her, asking desperately, "Beth, have you seen Mephi?"

"Um...no? I just got back from dinner. He's not here?" Beth sounded surprised; there hadn't been a time when he wasn't in the room guarding Eileen's things.

"Oh no...no no no..." She began to panic and look around everywhere for clues.

"Maybe he went to find his own food." Beth suggested.

"He always waits for me to feed him! Something's wrong, where's his basket?" She flung herself onto the trunk, ripping it open and searching inside in case she'd moved it without remembering.

"Uh..." Beth began to chew on her fingernail and Eileen whipped her head around to stare at her with wide eyes.

Taking the room in two strides, she grabbed her arm and exclaimed, "Who did this? Who took Mephi!"

"I...I don't know..." Beth muttered, trying not to make eye contact.

"Yes you do! Please, Beth, tell me who took Mephi!" Eileen pleaded.

"I...might have overheard someone saying they were going to teach you a lesson...somehow..." Beth muttered.

"What? Teach me a lesson? I haven't done anything wrong! Where is Mephi!"

"Leave me alone, it's your own fault!" She pulled her arm free and stalked over to her bed where she glared from afar.

"What are you talking about?" Eileen stared at her in confusion and Beth sniffed loudly, grumbling, "Buddying up to the head of the house, what are you playing at? He's three times your age!"

"He's not that old...wait, what do you mean, buddying up?" Eileen was growing furious with her.

"Everyone saw him running after you in the hallway earlier, neither of you came back until just before dinner." Beth said harshly.

"What? That was..." Eileen stuttered.

"You've been staying behind in class to speak with him, always sitting right in front of his desk." Beth added.

"That's..."

"Hovering around his office, someone even saw you go into his store room and you were in there for a while."

"I was just..."

"Making him a Christmas present? And he even wore it right in front of the whole school! You even stayed behind after dinner like you were waiting for a midnight rendezvous!"

"You told them?" Eileen was beginning to burn inside, feeling betrayed by her own roommate.

"I didn't have to, they figured it out on their own! They say you've also been holding his hand when no one's looking."

"STOP IT!" Eileen screamed, panting with fury and shouting, "Give me my cat back! If you have a problem with me take it out on me, but leave Mephi out of this!"

"So you have been seeing the potions master?" Beth looked stunned and slightly disgusted.

"Everyone sees him, I don't know what you mean!"

"I mean dating him, dummy! He's your boyfriend, right?" Beth crossed her arms in annoyance.

"My...what?" Eileen stared at her in shock and Beth sighed, reaching into her robes and producing a roll of parchment.

"Here, maybe this will enlighten you." Beth said, handing it to her before saying, "If it makes any difference, I told them not to take your cat but they didn't listen to me. I'm sorry, Eileen..."

She unrolled the parchment and read it briefly before her heart sunk in her chest, her eyes watering painfully as she muttered, "How...how could they..."

But before Beth could say anything else, Eileen ran from the room and blindly made for Snape's store room, hoping against hope that he was there working on putting away his new additions. The door was ajar and she burst through it, nearly causing Snape to fall off his ladder.

"Miss Pierce, what - " Snape exclaimed indignantly before seeing that she was crying angrily. He jumped down from the rung and pulled her into the room, shutting the door and saying, "Eileen, why are you - "

"Mephi's been kidnapped!" Eileen stated bluntly, holding back the knot in her throat in an attempt to remain somewhat composed.

"Kidnapped? By who? Why!" Snape looked confused and Eileen shoved the parchment into his gut, saying weakly, "Read this."

She quickly stalked over to the ladder and sat down before she collapsed from her furious shaking.

Blinking at her curiously, he unrolled the parchment and read the contents with growing shock.

"Young teacher, the subject

Of schoolgirl fantasy

She wants him so badly

Knows what she wants to be

Inside her there's longing

This girl's an open page

Book marking, she's so close now

This girl is half his age

Her friends are so jealous

You know how bad girls get

Sometimes it's not so easy

To be the teacher's pet

Temptation, frustration

So bad it makes him cry

Strong words in the staff room

The accusations fly"

His jaw clenched as he crumbled the paper in his hands irately, finally ripping it in half before throwing it across the room. He fell to his knees in front of her and grabbed her shoulders, saying, "Who did this, Eileen? Tell me!"

"I don't know, I got back to my room and Beth told me they took him and gave me that...it's not true, it's not!" She shook her head and buried her face in her hands.

Snape grit his teeth as he growled, "Damn children...come with me." He stood and took her hand roughly, pulling her out the door and down the hallway.

Eileen was nervously looking around at the staring students on their way to their dorms, wishing Snape would let her go and let her follow of her own accord. Finally, he burst into the full Slytherin common room and silence fell over the students as Eileen hid behind Snape's towering form. His wrath radiated around the room as they began to cower in his gaze, suddenly becoming aware of the yelling to ensue.

"How...DARE you insinuate such a thing! Whoever was behind this, I promise you, I will make sure that you spend every single free moment you have for the REST of the YEAR serving out detention! I am appalled by your actions, who gave you the right to make such outrageous accusations? Perhaps I should give you ALL detention, how would you like that?" Snape shouted furiously.

The students shrunk back a little more, looks of fear on their faces as they began to regret their moment of fun.

"I didn't think so. Now...who. Has. Her. Cat." Snape spoke short and sharp, taking in every single guilty face waiting for someone to crack. When no one spoke up, he bellowed, "10 points from Slytherin! I repeat, where is the cat!"

When still no one spoke, he said even louder, "20 points from Slytherin! Speak or you'll all be in detention RIGHT NOW!"

"Don't punish us for the truth!" A voice rose from the crowd and Snape glared in the direction it came from. The sea of black parted instantly and revealed Pansy looking rather smug and fearless.

Growling, Snape waved his wand and she came flying forward, stopping just feet from him as the room gasped.

"It would be wise of you to not make such wild assumptions about your teachers," Snape snarled at her, "Now where is the cat, Miss Parkinson."

"I don't know what you're - " She tried to lie but he took a step forward, the room jumping back instinctively as he hissed, "Don't lie to me, child. You've gone too far and I don't take to being toyed with, you don't want to make me more livid than I already am. Turn the cat over and maybe I'll shave a couple days off your detention."

"You can't hurt me, if you lay a hand on me I'll tell my father and he'll have you fired!" Pansy barked harshly.

A sinister smile curled Snape's lips as he purred, "I don't have to touch you, Miss Parkinson, I have other ways of getting answers."

Pansy turned her nose up at him snobbishly and sniffed, "You wouldn't dare."

Snape leaned close to her, whispering softly in her ear for a few minutes before she staggered away, her face ashen and sweaty.

"You...you wouldn't..." She gasped.

"Care to test your theory, Miss Parkinson? I haven't had a chance to use it in a while so it may prove to be entertaining...though the side effects may be a bit...disturbing." Snape whispered with a cruel sparkle in his eyes.

Pansy swallowed before pursing her lips tightly in an attempt to hold back a whimper of fear. Whirling around she waved her wand in the direction of the dorms and screamed, "_Accio_, kneazle!"

Thumping sounds thundered down the stairs and a petrified ball of fur flew through the air before tumbling across the floor.

"Mephi!" Eileen exclaimed, leaping forward and unfreezing her cat, cradling him lovingly as he hissed savagely at Pansy.

"Take the blasted thing, it's a nuisance anyway!" Pansy shouted before running off to the dormitory stairs, quickly disappearing out of sight.

The room remained deathly silent until Snape glared at them, saying, "Would anyone else like to share their opinions of me?"

With that, a mad dash was made for bed and they were alone within minutes.

Mephistopheles was still growling foully at being treated so harshly, wishing to give Pansy a piece of his mind as Eileen stroked him lovingly.

"I'm so sorry, Mephi, this never should have happened. It's all my fault..." Eileen sobbed softly, curled around his ruffled body.

Making sure no one was around, Snape knelt next to Eileen and said, "No it's not, those fools went too far this time! They had no right to do what they did."

"But...they think bad things about us..." Eileen sobbed.

"It doesn't matter, your opinion about how you act and feel is the only one that matters!" He whispered to her in a determined tone, feeling personally guilty for what happened.

"They think that I...that we..."

"But you don't, and we aren't...so ignore them."

"But...but I do..." Eileen whispered weakly.

Blinking, Snape muttered, "You do what?"

"Love you..."

Before Snape could comprehend her statement, she jumped to her feet and ran up to her room, leaving him crouched on the floor in stunned silence.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Seventeen

A month had passed since the night Eileen confessed her feelings toward Snape and nothing more had been said on the subject. It wasn't as if Snape was avoiding her, he tried to speak to her after class but she always managed to disappear in the crowd going out the door. She made fewer visits to the library and took shortcuts and detours in order to avoid Snape in the halls, causing him to grow more frustrated by the day.

Another student had been petrified and sent to the hospital so rumors had exploded like a stick of dynamite in a barrel of toads, distracting everyone from Snape and Eileen's issues. It was the beginning of the second week in February and tensions were high, though something else seemed to be getting the attention of older students.

Couples were springing up everywhere and clogging the corridors with their giggling and loitering, making it difficult for others to get to their classes. Eileen fought through a swarm of cooing lovers to get to the Gryffindor table at dinnertime, plopping down between the twins with a heavy sigh.

"Yay, you made it here alive, we thought the snoggers over there might accidentally suck you in!" George exclaimed, clapping her on the back.

"It's gross, why are so many people acting so weird?" Eileen groaned, trying not to look at anything but her dinner plate.

"What, you don't know?" Fred gasped before saying dramatically, "The day of love and romance has come once again to consume the hearts of girls and wallets of boys everywhere! Tomorrow is - "

"Valentine's Day!" The twins announced together.

"Valentine's Day? What's that, another holiday?" Eileen frowned and glanced at the others curiously.

"It's the holiday for lovers to share moments of rapt passion and for depressed singles to wish they were dead. But for those who like to make fun of couples - " George explained.

"Like us, of course - " Fred interjected.

"It's a time of splendid merriment at the expense of those pathetic souls trying to get some!"

"Some chocolate, naturally." Fred winked and nudged Eileen coyly as Ron glared at him.

"You're impossible." Ron muttered, "Tomorrow's gonna suck bullocks, I just know it."

"What are bullocks?" Eileen blinked and the twins snickered, saying, "Nevermind."

"Basically what you do is give people candy and notes that say I love you or some crock like that, I guess." Harry muttered, not too thrilled by any of it.

"Valentine's Day is more than that! It's a chance for two people to finally come to an understanding about their feelings for each other - oh stop it, you two!" Hermione scolded the twins as they made gagging noises.

"Honestly, Hermione, don't give the poor girl such silly ideas. Besides, it's much more fun to do this: OI! TAKE A BREATH, SHE'LL BE THERE ALL NIGHT UNLESS YOU INHALE HER FACE!" Fred shouted to a couple nearby, causing them to break apart and blush profusely.

Their table broke out in fits of laughter and Eileen frowned, saying, "That wasn't very nice of you..."

"Oh, come on, it's all in good fun! They'll probably get back to it in some deserted classroom later where they don't have to subject other people to such disgusting displays of affection."

"Look, Suckhard's gonna say something." Ron elbowed Harry and nodded to the front of the room where Lockhart was gently clanging his glass with a knife, to the annoyance of the teachers glaring at him.

He cleared his throat loudly and said, "I have an announcement to make!"

"No, duh." Ron mumbled.

Snape shared his opinion from what Eileen could tell by the dirty look that he was giving Lockhart behind his back.

"Since the school has fallen into a bit of disarray lately concerning recent events, I have decided to boost morale by requesting the headmaster to allow us to have a Valentine's Day celebration! I have recruited a taskforce of cherubs to deliver valentines throughout the school, I personally will be sending out valentines to all of the students who honored me with letters already!"

The group glanced at Hermione and she blushed, burying her face in a random book.

"I encourage you to be creative, you might even ask our dear potions master to make a love potion for you! I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help out a young lover or two, right, Snape old boy?" Lockhart clapped him on the shoulder heartily and Snape looked murderously at anyone who even had a glimmer of consideration in their eyes, "I look forward to seeing those cherubs zipping around the school delivering the valentines that I'm sure you're eager to send out! Well, that's enough from me, go forth and spread your love!"

The room filled with chattering as girls giggled about what they were going to write to their crushes and boys whispered about how they would run for their lives when they saw a cherub coming their way.

Eileen got up and followed the herd of Slytherins toward the dormitory, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Snape was still at the staff table throwing daggers at Lockhart with his eyes. But he had already disappeared as the remaining teachers milled about before exiting through the staff door. Nervously, she wove through the crowd in an attempt to get to the stairs before everyone else when she spotted Snape standing idly against the wall by the top step, glaring at students as they walked by. As she pondered how he could have possibly gotten there before her, she ducked out of the crowd and ran down the hallway to catch up with the twins as they dallied along discussing ideas of what to do the following day.

"Hey, can I hang with you guys for a while?" Eileen panted, slowing to meet their pace.

"Of course! We've become fond of you invading our turf, it drives the prefects up the wall!" Fred grinned, knowing for sure that his brother Percy hated it.

"Really? I'm not suppose to be in your dorm?" Eileen wondered, having already spent time there during Christmas break, though there weren't many people there to care.

"Probably not." George answered.

"Which means we'd love to have you!" Fred beamed and put an arm around her shoulder, George doing the same.

"Thanks, I'll probably only need to hide out for a few minutes..." Eileen sighed, glancing over her shoulder cautiously.

"Trouble with the mister?"

"We understand."

"You can stay as long as you like!"

"You can even share a bed, girls are allowed in the boys' dorms."

"Um...I'll just sit in the common room, thanks." Eileen eyed the twins before the portrait swung open.

Stepping through together, the students still up giggled at the sight of them as they strolled over to the fireplace.

"Eileen? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked in surprise, looking up from her homework.

"We commandeered her!" Fred grinned proudly.

"Can we keep her, mommy? Please?" George pouted and Hermione shook her head in disgust, saying, "You two..."

"Oh, you know you love us! Actually, she's hiding out; clear off!" Fred shoved Ron out of a chair next to the fire and waved Eileen into it with a kind smile.

Scowling at his brother, Ron said indignantly, "Can't she hide in her own dorm? In her own chair?"

"How cruel! Maybe she enjoys our company more than those Slytherin snobs, ever consider that? Of course not, you're too thick to think of such things." George scolded him.

"I'm sorry, perhaps my presence isn't welcomed..." Eileen muttered, making to sit up.

"Oh, ignore him! He's just grumpy that we stole his chair, he doesn't mind you hanging out with us for a while, right?" George glared at Ron and he sighed, saying, "Right..."

"I'll warn you now I'm very skilled at knowing when people are telling the truth or not..." Eileen said to Ron and he frowned, saying, "Is that so?"

"Indeed, Dumbledore told me so, something about being better at catching liars than professor Snape is at lying." She rambled.

"Blimey, that must be really good then!" Fred laughed.

"So there's magic that allows you to lie? Excellent, what's it called?" George looked excited and Harry said, "I don't think you two need to learn how to lie any better than you already do."

"Spoil sport!" They said in unison and everyone chuckled merrily.

The group spent the rest of time before curfew joking around and telling stories, the twins acting out some of their finer feats of vandalism.

Eileen gazed at her watch and sighed, "I think I should return to my dorm, it's past curfew by now."

"But you'll be caught out of bed!" Hermione looked worried before scowling at the twins and saying, "Now she'll be in trouble!"

"Oh no, don't worry about me, I'm skilled at hiding from people. I'll be fine, goodnight everyone!" She bowed to them all and hurried to the portrait hole, slipping out quietly and making for the dungeons. The hallways were empty and the journey went smoothly as she descended the stairs and ran noiselessly through the corridors to where the entrance to the common room was. She opened her mouth to speak the password but a chill went through her and told her she wasn't alone. Turning to run, something reached out of the darkness and grabbed her arm, yanking her back to stare wide eyed into Snape's shadowed face. Her voice failed her as she continued to stare at him, reading the anger on his face as a sign that he wasn't happy with her in the slightest.

"Betrayal." Snape whispered and the wall broke open, revealing the empty common room, more than likely previously cleared of any lingering lovers so Eileen wouldn't be caught sneaking in so late. Slowly, he released her arm and stepped back, watching her closely as she paused in confusion before running into the room and heading straight to bed.

As she changed into her nightgown, thoughts loomed over her heavily; why hadn't Snape given her detention when he caught her out past curfew? He was obviously cross but something in the way he held her arm told her he was upset in a different way and this scared her. Crawling under the covers, she cuddled close to Mephistopheles, shivering a little at the thought of the unknown.

"Back from your midnight tryst?" Beth whispered from her bed.

"Oh, you're awake." Eileen rolled over to gaze in Beth's direction.

"Yeah, your cat kept me up with his pacing." She grumbled.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time, I was hanging out with my friends in the Gryffindor dorm." Eileen said softly, snuggling into her blanket.

"I'm surprised you didn't get caught by Snape, he's been patrolling the hallways all night like some kind of snog police." Beth sighed, having been caught herself with another first year. When Eileen didn't reply, she added, "I've noticed you spend a lot of time with those twins, are they your boyfriends?"

"They're just really good friends, I find them amusing. They're quite defiant and spirited."

"That's one way to put it. I think they like you."

"Really? I like them as well, they're excellent company." Eileen smiled to herself.

"Yeah, I bet. Well...goodnight." Beth muttered.

"Goodnight, Beth." Eileen rolled back over to face Mephistopheles, cuddling close to him with a sigh.

OoOoOoOo

The next day was swallowed whole in the smell of chocolate and echoes of valentines being read aloud. Boys everywhere were blushing as dumpy dwarfs wearing diapers and wings recited their messages in front of all their friends, causing embarrassments for everyone who fell prey to one. Eileen sulked from class to class, wishing she hadn't avoided Snape the previous night and just went to bed when she was suppose to. She didn't have potions today so she wouldn't have to see Snape if she didn't want to, but something inside her said that this was a futile dream. A day of lovers and no Snape to be seen? One could only hope...

"Oi, Eileen! This is suppose to be a happy day, what's with the long face?" Fred bounded up to her in the hall on the way to dinner and she sighed, saying, "Professor Snape caught me out of bed last night."

"Bummer, did you run into him in the hall?"

"No, he was waiting for me at the dorm entrance."

"Blimey, that's scary! Was he lurking in the shadows? He caught me out of bed once like that, nearly wet myself! So how much detention did you get?" George caught up to them and swaggered along Eileen's free side with his hands in his pockets.

"None." She said, almost sounding amazed herself.

They stared in disbelief and said in chorus, "None?"

"No, he just said the password and stepped away. But..."

"Yeah?" They seemed completely entranced with her story, eager to hear more about this strange Snape behavior.

"He looked mad, of course, but not like...'mad' mad."

"You mean he wasn't mad that you were breaking the rules? What's he got to be mad about then?" Fred frowned in confusion as they entered the great hall.

Eileen didn't want to tell them about her confession to him last month and merely replied, "I'm not sure but he looked upset."

"It's probably just because it's Valentine's Day, he doesn't get anything but dirty looks from the students he catches making out in the bushes." George waved it off casually as they sat together at the table and began to dine, chatting about interesting stories from their classes that day.

Eileen glanced up at the staff table and noticed Snape wasn't present. As she wondered where he had gone, a hand waved in front of her face and she snapped out of her trance as Fred said, "Earth to Eileen, what are you staring at?"

"Grumpy's not at the table." George pointed out with a sigh, "He's probably catching kids playing hookie for some nookie."

"Something's off with him, I have noticed he's been acting fouler than usual," Ron joined in, "Just today he made me clean up the entire room when my cauldron exploded."

"That's cause you suck at potions." Harry commented.

"No, it was going fine but he started badgering me about something and I put in one too many newt tails cause he wouldn't leave me alone! He's gone mental!" Ron whined, sulking over his stew as he poked it idly.

"I need to talk to him, this is my fault." Eileen resolved aloud and everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Your fault? I doubt it, he's just in a funk, give him time and he'll be back to his normal depressing self again!" Fred said cheerfully.

"You don't understand, I...it's complicated. I'm not hungry, I'll see you guys tomorrow." Eileen stood and they said their good-byes curiously as she left the great hall. She slowly strolled down the hallway toward the library, hoping she could get in a few extra minutes of reading in before curfew.

Entering the room, she was met by a whole host of dwarves hovering around boredly, annoying the librarian who was trying to finish organizing the books before bed. One of the dwarves spotted her and came floating over, saying, "Oi, you Eileen Pierce?"

"Um...yes?" She said cautiously.

"Over here, boys!" The dwarf waved to the others and they hurried over, forming a little choral huddle in front of her. Together they began bellowing noisily, "The roses are dead," A dwarf handed her some dried roses, "the violets are too," Another handed her dried violets, "but here's some candy," She was given a box of every flavor beans, "and detention for you!"

Finally, a slip of paper was given to her that said, "For being out past curfew, report to the lake at 8 PM on February 14th for punishment. Do not bring anything with you."

"Alright, you've done you business, now SHOO!" Ms. Pince hollered at the cherubs, flailing her arms furiously, obviously already cross with their presence.

Blushing and bowing to the dwarves, Eileen hurried out of the room and made her way outside unnoticed. Quietly and without the aid of wandlight as there was a brilliant full moon out, she trotted around the castle to the lake, looking around and seeing no signs of anyone else around. With a sigh, she strolled over to a tree near the lakes edge and gazed up at its branches, pondering if she could climb it. Stooping, she hopped up and grabbed the lowest branch, dangling playfully before pulling herself up and straddling the limb. She smiled triumphantly, enjoying her new view of the lake as she gazed out across the crystalline surface that gently rippled in the breeze. Draping herself across the branch like a lazy cat, she pondered why she was called out here when there was no one around, wondering if this was another trick played on her by her house.

"I didn't peg you for a tree climber." Snape appeared out of the darkness, gazing up at her from the ground.

Caught off guard, she stared down at him, clinging to the branch, "Oh, you startled me, sir!"

"Apparently." He sounded slightly annoyed but mostly seemed fatigued, most likely due to spending most of the evening breaking up couples and turning away hopefuls for love potions.

Wary of his foul mood, she muttered, "So what's my punishment this evening?"

"Enduring my company," He grumbled, glaring up at the branch, judging its sturdiness, "Move over."

"Um...okay." She blinked and sat up, scooting forward along the branch to allow him space.

Nimbly, he grabbed the branch, easily pulling himself up and sitting at the base of the stem. Leaning against the tree he let out an exhausted groan, staring out at the lake with a weary look.

Eileen stared back at him before turning around to face him, saying, "I didn't peg you as a tree climber either, sir."

"I played Quidditch when I was a student at Hogwarts, a chaser. I was quite agile on my broomstick; I didn't make many goals though, usually just stole the ball from other players and ran interference. I still serve as a referee during games from time to time." Snape said casually, propping a foot on the branch while dangling his other leg over the edge, resting his hands in his lap.

"Really?" Eileen gazed at him curiously, wondering why he was telling her this.

Snape let out a low grunt, watching the reflection of the moon on the lake.

She watched him curiously for a moment before looking out at the lake as well, quietly watching the giant squid slowly wave a few tentacles out of the water at the moon. It seemed so surreal yet strangely normal to her.

It was a long while before Snape finally said softly, "You've been avoiding me."

No words could find their way to her lips and she nodded, fearing the coming conversation. Glancing at her momentarily, Snape gazed off into the distance and continued, "You told me something last month that I haven't heard since I was a child."

She wasn't sure what to say, watching him nervously as he continued, "I didn't know what to say to you but I felt like I should at least say something. But again...you avoided me like the plague."

"I was scared." Eileen finally whispered.

"Were you? I thought you might have changed your mind."

"No" She looked down at the branch, holding on with both hands and swinging her legs in the air.

He watched her closely now, seeming to be searching her face curiously, "Can I ask you something, Eileen?"

"I...I guess so." She kept her eyes cast on the branch as Snape watched her closely.

"Do you know what it means to love someone?" He asked in a soft, questioning tone.

"Well...I know what it's like not to love someone so...I guess what I feel is love?"

"Explain." Snape's face was void of emotion but there was an inquisitive glint in his eyes.

"Well..." Awkwardly, she thought of how to explain her feelings, "When I'm with you, I feel...warm and safe."

Pausing, she looked up at him to see his reaction. He had the same expression, waiting patiently for her to continue.

Swallowing, she returned to staring at the branch, clinging tightly, "My heart fills with joy when you smile at me because I know you care; because it's for me and only me. I want to give you a reason to smile again because when you're happy, I'm happy. And...when you hold my hand..." She lifted a hand off the branch, gazing at her palm reminiscently before finally looking up at him and smiling, "When I see you in class, I want to do my best and make you proud of me! I want to give you the best I can give, I want to work hard so that you'll find no fault in me, I want to...I want to be strong like you."

His poker face seemed to waver a moment before he broke his gaze, looking away and muttering, "So...you love me like a father..."

"Like a good father." She corrected in a serious tone that surprised him as he looked back.

Blinking, he said, "A...good father?"

"Yes, not like my father, not like...not like your father." She said boldly.

He twitched, looking obviously upset by her statement as he whipped his head away and glared across the lake.

Her heart instantly sank, feeling like she just blew it again, but resisting the urge to apologize to give him a chance to reply in his own time.

It was a while before he gave any hint of a change of mood, whether he was thinking about what she said or regretting coming out there in the first place. He shifted his balance, dropping his leg down along the same side as his other leg, gripping the limb with his hands as he steadied himself. Looking up at her, he said, "We should go back inside, it's far past curfew."

A nervous knot in her stomach, Eileen said, "Okay, sir."

"I thought I told you to call me by my first name when we were alone?" He said, his face blank but his eyes telling her that he wasn't mad at all.

Blinking for a minute, she smiled gently, a feeling of relief washing over her as she said happily, "Yes, of course, Severus."

Slowly he returned her smile, almost looking like a boyish grin as he adjusted himself on the branch. Sliding back until he was balancing on his thighs, he fell back, dangling upside down with his legs hooked over the branch. With the greatest ease, he flipped off and landed on his feet, straightening and waiting for her to join him.

Her eyes sparkled, admiring his agility as she took the route of clinging to the branch and rolling off so that she was hanging like a sloth, letting go with her legs and waiting until she stopped swinging to drop to the ground. Standing and dusting off her robes, she beamed up at him and said, "That was fun! We should do this again sometime."

"Perhaps..." He replied, turning and leading the way back to the school while secretly thinking the same thing.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Eighteen

Time passed quickly as elder students worked on their O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S while younger students focused on getting homework done and cheering on the Quidditch teams. The end of the Quidditch championship was growing near and tension was high between Gryffindor and Slytherin, except when it came to Eileen and her friends. It seemed like a normal day in spring, the last game of the season was about to take place that afternoon and team spirit was running wild.

"Slytherin's going down, they don't stand a chance!" Fred shouted as he strolled down the hallway toward lunch as if he owned the place.

"Don't hold your breath, Weasley!" A random Slytherin shouted back at him and they began to posture to see who looked bigger.

"Fred, come on, save it for the game!" Ron grabbed his brothers arm and hauled him away as Fred threw insults and returned crude retorts all the way into the great hall.

The Gryffindor table erupted with cheers as Fred beamed at everyone, waving like a celebrity before taking his usual seat to complete the Eileen sandwich.

Eileen was already discussing the odds of the game with George when Fred said, "So who are you cheering for, Eileen?"

"Gryffindor, of course." She grinned and Fred gave her a high five.

"Yeah, someone's not too happy about it." George prodded his thumb in the direction of the staff table where Snape was glaring in their direction.

"I already explained that you were my friends, he understands." Eileen said calmly, taking a bite of her lunch.

"I've noticed he's a lot...calmer around you, I don't know how to describe it." Harry commented to her out of the blue.

"He doesn't look like he's itching to hand out a big helping of detention?" Ron added with a look of amusement.

"Yeah, I do think you're right. Or at least he is when he's around her, still the same grump when I see him." George sighed, jabbing his meal with his fork and shoveling it into his mouth unceremoniously.

"So did you two get a chance to talk?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yes. We've...come to an understanding." She smiled awkwardly and finished her meal before saying, "I actually have some research to do for an essay professor McGonagall assigned, I'll see you guys later."

"But the game's starting after lunch, you aren't going to miss it, are you?" Fred looked upset and Eileen smiled, saying, "I'll try to come by when I'm done, I promise!"

"I'd better see you cheering for us, right next to Ron!"

"Alright, save me a seat!" Eileen grabbed her book bag and headed off to the library. After studying for a few minutes, she saw Hermione come running into the room, heading straight for one of the shelves nearby with determination in her stride. Curiously, Eileen watched her for a while until she ripped a page out of the book she was reading and made for the door.

"Hermione?" Eileen whispered, wondering why she showed such disregard for the book and deciding to follow her.

Ahead, she saw Hermione talking briefly to an older girl with a badge on her chest, pulling a mirror out of her pocket as she looked at a puddle of water on the floor. They inched toward the door and peered around the corner with the mirror in hand but suddenly, they ceased moving. Eileen felt a prickle of fear crawl up her spine as she stared at their frozen forms, sensing something was wrong.

"H-Hermione? What is it?" Eileen whispered to her as she inched closer to them. Suddenly, she heard a hissing noise echo through the hallways and she froze mid-step, her heart racing madly. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and began to think of what could possibly be out there.

"No, go away!" She shouted, clutching her head as the shelves all around her began to shake. The hissing in the hallway became shrill for a moment before ceasing and she heard something retreating the opposite direction, a sort of slimy squishing sound that faded away as dull cheers from the game took place outside. Cautiously, Eileen opened her eyes after waiting a moment longer and saw that Hermione and the other girl were still frozen in place, petrified by whatever had been lurking in the hall. What it was she wasn't quite sure but right now their safety was more immediate.

Turning, she saw Madam Pince hurrying toward her with a look of wild alarm after feeling the room quake for a brief moment.

"My dear, are you alright? What happened?" Pince asked in a terrified voice before seeing the girls in the doorway and gasping.

"Madam, keep an eye on them while I run and fetch the nurse, please!" Eileen replied, quickly squeezing around them and splashing through the water on the floor for several feet before finding dry footing. She ran straight to the hospital wing and looked around frantically for Pomfrey, calling out, "Poppy? Poppy!"

"What in Merlin's name is wrong now?" Pomfrey hurried out of her office, adjusting her nurse hat on her head.

"Miss Granger and another girl have been petrified in the library, I don't know what happened...you have to help them!" Eileen pleaded.

"Oh no...you stay here, child, you look absolutely traumatized!" Pomfrey said, hurrying toward the door.

"No, I'm fine! I'll go alert the headmaster of what's happened. He's at the game, right?" Eileen ran after the nurse and made for the Quidditch field.

The game was in full swing by now and she had to carefully look around the stadium before finding the teachers box. Quickly, she made her way up the spiraling stairs to the top and inched her way through the crowd to Dumbledore.

"Headmaster? I'm sorry to bother you but there's been another attack." Eileen said just loud enough for him to hear.

"Attack? Who was it?" He looked concerned as he stooped to hear her better.

"Miss Granger and another girl, I think it was a prefect, she had a badge on. From Ravenclaw?" She explained and a grim look crossed his face.

"Penelope...thank you for informing me, are you alright?" He began to stand and she nodded, hurrying out of the way as he made for the stairs. Glancing out at the field, she caught sight of two red headed blurs battling Bludgers like crazy, her mind getting distracted momentarily before she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Snape staring down at her.

"What's going on?" He hissed over the crowd.

"Two more students were attacked, I...I was there." She replied, looking a little shaky.

Looking around, he took her hand and pulled her into the confines of the stairway, saying, "You should be in the hospital wing."

"But, I said I'd watch - " She tried to argue but Snape frowned at her, ceasing her retort instantly as she was hauled down to the ground. As they crossed the grounds, the stadium erupted with cheers that sounded like someone had just won the game, just who it was neither was sure. Eileen began to stumble under his quick pace and finally fell, gasping as she clutched her head in pain, beginning to shake.

Kneeling next to her, he tried to help her to her feet but she pushed him away, gasping, "Don't touch me!"

"Eileen, what - " Snape looked worried but she shook her head, whispering, "Just...give me a minute..."

He watched her warily, hearing the crowd in the stadium clambering down the stairs to exit toward the school and not wishing to be seen like this. Leaning close, he whispered, "Let me help you, Eileen. You need to get inside before the school sees you like this...it's not safe."

"Please...take me to your office." She barely said before cringing.

"My office? But - " Snape argued.

"NOW!" She shouted and he grimaced, glancing over his shoulder to check on the status of the crowds before hissing, "Alright, but if you pass out..."

He took her hand and guided her into the school, keeping at her own pace. They reached his office and he sat her down in his chair carefully, kneeling in front of her and saying, "Tell me what's wrong."

"I...I can't control it, Severus...it hurts!" Eileen winced as her body twitched and a misty white glow radiated from her briefly.

Eyes widening, Snape said, "What's happening to you?"

"My...my powers! Please make it stop, I...I don't want to hurt anyone!" She exclaimed, beginning to writhe and glow more fervently.

"Eileen, listen to me, it's all in your head. You have power over these outbreaks, just concentrate!" Snape tried to encourage her but she whimpered, her nails digging into the arms of the chair as the desk rattled unsettlingly. Giving it a sideways glance, he leaned closer to her and tried to put his hand on hers but the light repelled him violently, leaving small lacerations on it. He winced but frowned in determination, reaching up and taking her face in his hands despite the damage being done and saying, "Eileen, look at me!"

Her eyes snapped open wildly and she stared at him in bewilderment, the powers within her raging like a hurricane inside a bottle that was slowly beginning to crack.

He tried not to reflect the pain he was enduring as he said softly, "Look into my eyes, what do you see?"

"I..." She tried to pull away but he held her still, repeating more firmly, "What do you see!"

"I see you!" She whimpered restlessly.

"Look deeper..." His expression hardened as they locked gazes, both hearts racing to meet each other within this painful embrace.

"I see...nothing." She whispered.

"Exactly, I want you to clear your mind of all thought, fill yourself with this emptiness, embrace it." He hissed, blood dripping unnoticed down his arms.

"I...I can't..." She tried once more to pull away but he refused to let go.

"Yes, you can. Just...try." He pleaded in a strong and steady tone, keeping his hands firm despite the desire to pull away.

Her face contorted into a indignant grimace before she said, "It's...not...working..."

"You're not trying hard enough!"

"I AM!" She sobbed, a stabbing pain in her chest growing difficult to bear.

"Eileen...I know it hurts but look past the pain, see the dark void inside you...go to it!" He urged her on, feeling overwhelmed by the pain.

There was a moment where the whole room began to shake and he thought for sure she wouldn't be able to control it. But just as it peeked, the room settled and so did Eileen.

Holding his breath, he leaned closer and whispered, "Eileen?"

"I...I did it." She panted, relaxing her grip on the chair.

"Good, keep focusing on that void, close your eyes and see it in your mind." Snape said, waiting until she had done as he instructed before pulling his hands away from her face, shaking slightly at the intense searing pain shooting up his arms.

As he gazed at his hands that looked like they had been ravaged by a wild dog, his door creaked open. Startled, he quickly rose to his feet to see Dumbledore entering the room with a grim expression on his face. He motioned for him to remain quiet and Dumbledore nodded, easing the door shut as Snape said, "Keep focusing, imagine there's a box outside the void. Put all your thoughts and feelings in the box and lock it."

Dumbledore silently crossed the room, removing his wand from his sleeve and holding his hand out to Snape's.

Cringing, Snape held his hands out, continuing to coach Eileen as Dumbledore healed him, "Don't let anything out of that box, keep them there until you are completely consumed by the void."

Exchanging a questioning glance with Snape, Dumbledore finished healing his hands and stepped away, waiting by the door.

Flexing his fingers slowly, Snape took a deep breath and pulled his wand out, magicking the blood away as he knelt down again.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly.

"Empty..." She replied calmly.

"Good, hold onto that feeling and open your eyes."

Slowly she blinked and gazed down at him before realizing they weren't alone, sitting up straight in the chair and gasping, "Headmaster!"

"Hello, Eileen. I came by to see how you were doing." Dumbledore said kindly, remaining by the door.

Glancing down at Snape nervously, she replied, "I'm...I'm fine..."

"That's good to hear," he replied, finally crossing the room at a slow gait, "How often does this happen to you, Eileen? The episodes, that is."

Glancing at Snape again, she gazed up at Dumbledore and stammered, "It...it's getting worse, I used to only lose control when I felt really scared or angry. But now..."

"Now the slightest thing sets you off?" He looked concerned but she shook her head.

"No, not the slightest thing...when I felt Hermione's attackers presence, something inside me came to life. I nearly destroyed the library but it went away, I think I injured it but there was no blood on the floor. It's almost like I can feel the evil in things and it causes me to lose control..."

"Anything that reminds you of your father..." Snape muttered and she stiffened before nodding slowly.

"But...what was it? What attacked them?" She looked between both teachers but neither seemed to have any clue.

"Nobody knows for sure, but there are some suspicions...did you see it?" Dumbledore inquired.

"No, I closed my eyes."

"Why?" Snape frowned and she looked confused as she whispered distantly, "I...don't know...it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Puzzlement filled his eyes as he thought this over for a minute, Dumbledore seeming to be thinking as well.

Randomly, the headmaster spoke up, "I think you should give her Occlumency lessons, Severus."

"Headmaster?" Eileen looked confused.

"Your mind and will are extremely fragile. When your fear overwhelms you, the little reign you had over your powers isn't enough to control yourself. It's not your fault...but you can't continue growing as a witch without proper control over your powers." Dumbledore explained.

"But...the school term comes to an end soon!" She looked worried and Snape seemed to ponder this for a moment before saying, "You should be okay during the summer, as long as you stay calm and practice clearing your mind whenever you feel yourself growing angry."

"But...but my father will be looking for me!" She gasped, looking afraid as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

Gently, Snape took her hands in his and said calmly, "Don't worry about your father, he won't find you."

"How do you know?" Eileen asked, a little surprised that he was touching her in front of the headmaster.

"I told you that I would protect you, didn't I? I like to think I'm a man of my word..." Snape stood.

"Wait, what are you going to do? Please, don't hurt him!" Eileen exclaimed, jumping to her feet and grabbing his robe desperately.

"No one is going to hurt anyone, Eileen. There are far less severe ways of ensuring a person's safety. Isn't that right, Severus?" Dumbledore assured her, glancing at Snape who obviously had been thinking of horrible things to do to make her father 'disappear'.

"Of course, Dumbledore." Snape replied simply.

"We can discuss these options later," Dumbledore smiled down to Eileen, "But for now I believe there is a pair of winning Beaters waiting to celebrate with you."

"Winning? Gryffindor won?" Eileen blinked, getting excited.

"Yes, it was quite a close game, but I think I'll let them tell you how it went." He smiled and waved his hand toward the door.

Glancing at Snape, she slowly walked to the door before pulling it open and breaking into a run, eager to see her friends.

Turning to Snape, Dumbledore said, "We have more immediate things to discuss, if you'll follow me."

Nodding, Snape left with Dumbledore, heading off to join the other teachers to discuss the latest happenings.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the characters within this fanfic, but I do own Eileen Pierce and her kneazle Mephistopheles so don't steal them! That is all, you may continue...

Chapter Nineteen

The next few days went by like a blur, Eileen rarely saw Snape as he was constantly dashing off with the teachers to address a new issue. Rumors spread like wildfire that the whole school was in danger of being turned into statues and Eileen's studies began to suffer from her constant reminders of that day in the library. She was just returning from a considerably bad session of transfiguration when she saw a pair of red headed adults hurrying through the hallway past the great hall.

"Excuse me, young lady!" The man said quickly, rushing around her and continuing on with the fretful woman in the direction of the hospital wing.

Blinking in surprise, Eileen wondered if they were related to the Weasley children just before seeing the twins rush out of the great hall.

"Mum, dad!" Fred and George yelled in unison, causing the adults to stop in their tracks.

"Boys, where are your brothers? Have you heard?" Mr. Weasley doubled back quickly and looked worried.

"Heard what? What's going on?" George asked, frowning in concern.

"Ginny, she's been taken! Oh, my baby girl!" Mrs. Weasley howled, looking wild with fear.

"What? No way! Why weren't we told!" Fred exclaimed, glancing in the direction of the great hall with resentment.

"We were just informed ourselves, hurry and find Ron and Percy!" Mr. Weasley commanded.

"Ron's with Harry, sir." Eileen suddenly spoke and the family turned their attention to her.

"Blimey, how long have you been there, Eileen?" Fred looked surprised.

"Nevermind that, where are they now?" Mr. Weasley asked her desperately.

"I saw them heading upstairs, I'm not sure why but all the teachers went up there after class." Eileen explained blankly.

"This was just before we were contacted! Oh, what if they're in trouble too?" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"Perhaps you should continue on to your predetermined location, you may find some answers there." Eileen reasoned and they seemed to remember what they were doing.

"She's right, hurry everyone, to the hospital wing!" Mr. Weasley motioned to the twins and they started off toward the stairs.

"Eileen, can you get our brother Percy? He's the Prefect at the Gryffindor table with the curly red hair!" Fred called over his shoulder and she nodded.

Entering the great hall, she made her way to the table on the far left of the room and searched for the boy he described. She found him sulking at the front of the table, obviously distraught over something and not wishing to be bothered.

"Um...excuse me, are you Percy Weasley?" She asked him timidly and he glanced up, noticing she was from Slytherin and snarling, "Go away, I want to be alone!"

"But I was sent to - " She tried to explain but he jumped to his feet, saying, "What, give me some snarky message from your house? Some witty remark about my girlfriend being petrified? Well you can tell them to mind their own business or I'll report them to the headmaster!"

Without letting her speak, he stalked off and left the room.

Frowning, she ran after him but he had disappeared, leaving her no choice but to find the rest of the family and report his lack of courtesy toward her retrieval. Entering the hospital wing, she was greeted by the twins who had been hovering around the room eager to hear news about their sister.

"Did you find him?" Fred asked promptly.

"Yes...but he's not coming." She said quietly so their parents wouldn't hear, but they made their disapproval known.

"That prat, what's more important than supporting his mum?" George exclaimed furiously.

"Let's go kick his bum all the way up here!" Fred suggested to his brother before they started for the door.

"No, wait! I never got to give him your message!" Eileen looked worried that they might start a fight over a misunderstanding and they whirled around, looking confused.

"Why not?"

"He thought I was acting on my houses behalf and..." She looked away and they exchanged glares, saying together, "Yep, he's a prat."

"It's fine, honestly, I...I don't mind. He seemed upset about his girlfriend..." She waved her hands in an attempt to change their minds when Mrs. Weasley jumped to her feet, exclaiming in a shrill tone, "His what? Where! I'll have to have a talk with that girl..."

"Calm down, Molly, he was bound to fancy someone some day...what's happened to her?" Mr. Weasley took his wife's hand and eased her back into a chair next to Hermione's bed.

"Um...he said she was petrified, she's probably one of the victims in this room. And since Hermione's the only other girl here..."

They all looked over at the other girl that was present in the library and Fred exclaimed, "I knew it! I'd seen Percy and Penelope in the halls together but I didn't think she'd actually like him!"

"How disgusting, they probably snog too..." George added.

"Now that's enough, you two! I'm sure she's a very nice girl..." Mr. Weasley reasoned, feeling a little hurt that he had been hiding it from him all this time.

"This is a good excuse to tease him about something." Fred grinned at his brother.

"Yeah, blackmail's brilliant, isn't it?" George smirked mischievously.

"Definitely." Fred turned to Eileen and said, "Which way did he go? We'll find the bugger and drag him here if we have to."

"I don't know, please...don't tell him I told you about Penelope." She looked worried and they smiled at her, both clapping her on the shoulders and saying, "No worries, little birdie!"

They threw her a wink before dashing out of the room and setting out to find their brother, leaving Eileen alone with the Weasleys and feeling a bit nervous under Molly's gaze.

"So...are you a friend of Fred and George's?" Mr. Weasley tried to strike up a conversation with her to break the tension.

"I...I guess so, but I'm not from Gryffindor." She looked slightly ashamed as they noticed her uniform colors.

"Ah, I see...you seem like an exceptionally kind young girl, you would have made a fine Gryffindor." Mr. Weasley made an effort to smile so she returned the favor.

"Thank you, sir." Eileen replied.

The room fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes before the headmaster entered the room, saying loudly, "Ah, Arthur, Molly, you've arrived. I'm happy to announce that your daughter is safe and sound, thanks to the efforts of your son Ron and Mr. Potter. I'll leave you to catch up then..." He stepped aside and Ginny walked into the room, breaking into a run as she leapt into her mother's arms.

Ron came in after her followed shortly by Harry who looked slightly upset about something as he glanced at the headmaster.

"Eileen, what are you doing here?" Ron asked, blinking curiously as she smiled at them.

"Apparently congratulating you two on the rescue, did you find the culprit behind the attacks?" She asked with equal curiosity.

"Yeah, it was a basilisk, but it's dead now." Harry answered simply without much drama or explanation.

"A basilisk? That explains it...oh, Professor Lockhart!" She turned her attention to the bewildered man being slowly led into the room by Snape, who looked surprisingly amused.

"The good professor's lost his memory, it's a real shame..." Snape announced, but his eyes told her that he couldn't be happier about the ordeal.

"Professor? Oh, do you mean me? How fascinating, what did I teach?" Lockhart looked thrilled to be there but completely lost.

"A plethora of fairy tales." Snape replied and Eileen couldn't help giggling.

"Ah, brilliant, I wish I could remember but I haven't the foggiest idea who I am...who are you, by the by?" Lockhart looked at Snape and he said, "No one to concern yourself with."

"I see...splendid! Where are we going?" Lockhart seemed quite excited to be led around by Snape, he probably wouldn't have cared if he led him right out of the tallest tower window.

"To see the nurse, now stop asking questions." Snape barked and Lockhart said happily, "Right-o!"

Setting him down on a bed and calling to Pomfrey, Snape explained the situation and turned his attention to Eileen.

Smiling up at him, she said, "So I suppose Mr. Lockhart won't be teaching next year, having lost his memory."

"It would seem so. Are you disappointed?" Snape asked but could tell before she answered that she was as thrilled as he was.

"Not terribly, sir." Eileen replied.

Leaning closer, Snape whispered, "Before you leave tomorrow, I would like to speak with you. Meet me in my office before you head out, if you can."

"Okay..." She whispered back and watched him leave with a curious sparkle in her eyes. Wondering what he had planned for her, she wandered over to the group around Ginny to pass the time until it was bedtime.

OoOoOoOo

The Slytherin common room was filled with students filtering in and out, saying their good-byes and making sure they had everything packed up. Eileen wandered out of the dormitory with Mephistopheles perched on her shoulder, carrying his traveling basket under one arm and draping her other arm over her shoulder bag which contained snacks for the ride home. She had packed up the night before and had nothing further to do until the train came so she headed straight to Snape's office as requested.

Knocking lightly on the door, she heard him call out and entered, smiling at him as she said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, come in..." Snape said, finishing his cleaning of his desk and coming around it to greet her. There was no desk for her to sit in so she stood in the middle of the room with Mephistopheles eyeing Snape suspiciously.

Returning the look, Snape said, "Are you packed and ready to go?"

"Yes, sir." She said automatically before saying, "Oh...I mean...yes, Severus."

"Good, then I have something for you." He handed her an envelope, "Read it on the train."

"I can't read it now?" She looked confused and he glanced at his shelves of jars distractedly, muttering, "I'd rather you didn't."

"Oh...Severus?"

"Yes?" He looked back and she stared at him for a long moment before saying, "I'm going to miss you."

Snape's expression softened and he said softly, "I...will miss you as well."

"Will you?" She inched closer and he smiled kindly, whispering, "Yes, I think so."

"Will you write to me?" Her eyes begged him.

"How about one better, I'll come and visit you." He smiled and her eyes lit up instantly.

"Really? You mean it? When!"

"When I can. I'll tell you in my letters when I can come."

Eileen could barely contain her joy as she flung her arms around him, forgetting that her cat was clinging desperately to her shoulder all the while before deciding it would be safer to jump down and avoid being crushed. Snape held her in return as she exclaimed with a note of ecstasy in her voice, "I can hardly wait! I'll have to clean house, it's so dusty and the floors could use some polishing and I'll have to prepare the guestroom! You will stay the night, won't you?"

"If it is not too much trouble, I had a plan that would keep you safe from your father...without causing pain to him, of course. It would take me a little while to put it into effect but it would ensure your safety for as long as you remained in your current residence. Are you interested?"

"Do you mean..." She gasped, "But what about you, you'll be in danger if you keep my secret!"

"What have I told you about worrying about me?" He smiled and she buried her face in his robes, mumbling, "Not to."

"Exactly. Now, I do believe you have a train to catch and I wouldn't want you to be late boarding. Don't forget not to use magic while you're away from the school unless you have no choice! Until then..." He gave her a quick hug before letting go and stepping over to the door to escort her out. "Until then." She smiled, gathering her kneazle and stepping out the door, walking together to the entrance hall.

They stopped at the front doors and gave one last fleeting glance before parting ways, Eileen climbing into a carriage awaiting passengers and watching out the rear window as Snape slowly faded into the distance. The carriage came to a stop a few minutes later by the waiting train, allowing the students to disembark and make their way through the crowds.

She paused to pet one of the thestrals pulling the carriage before hurrying to the whistling train, boarding and weaving through the throngs of students trying to find seats and lulling about to chat with friends. A little ways down the corridor, she passed a door and soon heard her name shouted from it, turning to see Fred poking his face out happily.

"Come and sit with us, we've got a seat left!" Fred said as she approached him.

"Thank you!" She smiled and stepped in to see his brother chatting lividly with a black boy who seemed to be arguing something involving Quidditch.

Upon seeing Eileen enter, George ceased his arguing and beamed up at her, saying, "Eileen, come sit next to me, I want you to meet my best friend Lee Jordan! Lee, this is the girl I was telling you about."

"Nice to finally meet ya, Eileen!" Lee smiled as he shook her hand boisterously.

"The pleasure's all mine." She replied and the boys laughed.

Fred took her basket full of pet and stowed it carefully in an empty spot on the luggage rack before taking a seat next to her, saying, "Lee usually does the commentary at our Quidditch matches, you may have heard him."

"Most likely..." She smiled and they started talking amongst themselves again.

The train was an hour into its journey when the trolley lady came along heralding her arrival.

"Want anything, guys?" Fred asked as he stood to get something for himself.

They all started busying themselves with buying snacks when Eileen remembered the letter Snape had given her. Taking the downtime to chance a glance at it, she opened the envelope and unfolded the paper carefully. Reading quickly, it said,

Dear Eileen, I don't know when I will be able to write to you but I promise I will.

Don't worry about whether I'll find you or not, owls are quite good at seeking out their destinations.

I just want you to know that I'll be watching over you.

Though you might feel alone for the next few months, know in your heart that I am there for you.

Stay safe.

At your disposal,

Severus Snape.

"Whatcha readin?" Fred asked around a mouthful of pumpkin pasties. Blinking fervently, she smiled and said, "Just a bit of hope for the future, that's all."

The end.

Writer's Notes: Hey, thanks for getting through the story, what a trooper! I know, you're wondering, "what'll happen next!", but you can find that out easily by going to the sequel: _Father Figure_. Eileen's entering her second year at Hogwarts and more excitement and heartache awaits her, poor thing! So hop on over to the next installment in this dramedy and keep on truckin'! Another note, if you've noticed that this current story got longer, it did indeed! I edited it to better suit the plot and characters in a more canon manner, I hope you all enjoy it!


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